2019: A YEAR OF BLESSINGS

I can't believe it is only few days left until 2020. But i can't really say that time flies this year because for some reason, i do feel like this year has been forever haha. However, in general, i can very much conclude that this year is really a year of blessings. Praise be to Allah.

This year was the year i secured a permanent job for myself. The year that all my previous financial problems reduced from 99 to at least 33. Haha. Because you know the second you secured a job, was the time that you will receive the same exact amount of money in your bank account without fail every month. Compared to when you were jobless or just doing a part time job with less amount of salary and your only pathetic hope was to rely on your parents (at least for me) which was not cool at all because i am already 26 years old. 

This year also marked the first year that i give my parents and my sister fixed monthly allowance. Tbh, i never really gave them anything back then. In fact, i was the one who always asked for everything from them. Lol. But now i can literally spoiled them with almost anything (under my budget range) especially on foods hahaha. Not that much but i am still very very happy because the feeling is just so right. 

And i also graduated with my Master's Degree and got engaged. Guess, this year was really the year that i have it all together. Alhamdulillah.

Not only me, but my sister as well graduated with her Bachelor Degree this year (her convocation will be held next year). My mom got promoted at work. My closest friends got married with their loved ones. Seeing my family and friends succeed, find love or just feeling content makes me feel unconditionally happy. 

The only major thing that makes me not-so-happy this year was my weight. Lol. Before any of you send your pitchforks my way because i know it too well that i've been complaining about my weight my whole life but let's be clear, i weight the most this year compared to all the years i thought i were already so fat :') Everybody noticed and said it to my face of how i gained so much weight. I even don't really feel like taking ootd, selfie or pose for a memory to paste on my Instagram as often as i did before because i know that the struggle is getting real since it is no longer that easy to get that 'perfect' kurus angle. 

I really wish that i could turn that around in 2020 especially because it will be the year for me to get married (insyaAllah). I can't be looking at my wedding photos especially tagged, published photos and thinking of how fat i am and feel very insecure and unhappy even on my wedding day. I could not let that happen!

One of my initiatives to lose weight on 2020 is to participate in run / marathon for at least once in a month. I already registered for a 10km run for January and February. More to go cause i do have my own personal goal for this one. I even bought myself a new pair of running shoes, brand new pants and an orbitrek for this. I really hope that i can make it happen this time. I wish to lose at least 15 kg and allow my skin to glow again like how it used to be before my wedding day. So let's do this and turn it into reality. Amin!

I guess, to participate in at least 12 marathons, to get back in shape and to get married in 2020 are already three major goals for me. And of course, i do have others in my bucket list that i need to cross off from time to time. But as for now, i'm just going to put the spotlight on these three first.

I pray that 2020 will be good for us with full of love, success, good news and blessings. 2019 was definitely a year made for me but i pray that 2020 will be just as great, if not, better than 2019. I also pray that 2020 will be one of peace, prosperity and health for me, my family and all of us. InsyaAllah. May Allah ease everything in 2020. Amin YRA. 

MY FIRST FURNITURE

Nothing much. But just wanted to save it here that on this date, i bought and got my first ever furniture for my (our future) home!

These are actually for my current use for the month. But in the near future, these shall be placed in my (our) guest room. Tbh, i was never really into white color before because i am aware that white is not as easy as any other colors especially dark colors to sustain. However, from now on, safe to disclose that most of my furniture-to-be will be white in color. 

Well, at least that's the plan for now. Let's get back soon. Hehe. 

TWO LESS FISH IN THE SEA

ALHAMDULILLAH. WE ARE ENGAGED!

Can't believe i'll ever say this in this lifetime. Haha. I mean, i remember last time when i told myself, my family and my friends that i never wanted to get engaged. I wanted to straightly get married instead. Lol. How time is a funny thing. But yeah, i am someone's fiancee now. I feel like a grown up woman somehow. Though things were never really changed. Except for there are two rings on my ring finger.

Tbh, i can't recall how the idea of engagement came to us since my boyfriend (which i can now call him my fiance) never get down on one knee or properly proposed me like how we saw on movies or social media. Haha. But one thing for sure is, we made it official and we got engaged on my fiance's birthday on the 16th November. Like, Wow! Congratulations man! You got me as your fiancee on your 26th birthday. You must be very lucky. Hahaha.

At first, me and my family intended to only invite our small circle of family, put on the merisik and engagement ring, recite tahlil and doa selamat. The initial plan was also to only invite about 200 guests (family only) with 2 canopies in our courtyard. That was all. However, we ended up inviting literally every person in our family trees, our neighbors from the same village and even some of our friends (including everybody's friends and my fiance's close friends). From catering to rewang, with a cow sponsored by my Tok Teh for food and 80 ayam golek freshly cooked at the majlis. From 2 canopies to 6 canopies. And finally from 5 cars of rombongan lelaki to almost 20 cars. What a day. Haha.

Alhamdulillah my engagement went very well and almost perfect for me. The rewang was done and helped by the villagers and my family members. They called the team as Olek Sekampung. They even had their final meeting together at our house until very late at night the day before the date. Thanks to them. May Allah bless them eternally. The food was likewise just as good. Some of my family members also brought some foods to share and eat together in the morning. Even my Mak Ngah Anne baked 6 types of cakes for my engagement. Thanks to them as well. I love hearing how everybody was so happy with the food. Alhamdulillah. 

As for my own personal preparation, i did save some of my income for this event (like, of course haha). I took 2 days off from the office so that i can come home and be prepared earlier. To list out; i rented a dais, 4 shaggy white carpets to put in front of the dais, a MUA and a henna artist. My dulang hantaran were from my senior from Silih Cerana Dulang Hantaran. I even hired my high school friend, Saidatul Fatini to capture the moment and i will also print these memories of my engagement day via Lifebuuk. Hehe.

Tbh, i was supposed to wear pink (my favorite color) for my engagement. The plan was to wear saree kurung like how the Raja Permaisuri Agong always wear in public. I already bought the full set of attire including a big gold crown just so my style will look exactly like her. But one thing led to another, and because of my insecurity with my fattest-in-history size (lol), i ended up wearing this purple / lilac kurung dress. Fyi, everything about this kurung dress was done one week and few days before the engagement. Phew.

And not to forget, major thank you to my best friend, Sarah Yazmin for helping me to put on my hijab, crown and veil. She also helped me with my makeup because i sweat like a beast (no workout needed lol). Hence, the reason why my makeup always come off very easily. I swear i need to browse on how to make my makeup last all day long so that on my wedding day later, i will still look and feel good even after the evening outdoor photo shoot session #prayforfiqazizi

Initially, my fiance told me that he couldn't made it to our engagement because he was too busy with his work day and night. And i believed him in that because he was indeed very busy since a month before our engagement. We didn't even contact or speak with each other that much along that time because of his work commitment. So i was like, yeah it's fine though. K k sabar sabar ugh. But again, he suddenly showed up out of nowhere like how he did during my convocation day. This was his second surprise to us all especially to me. But honestly, i am truly glad that he made it to experience this with us. To my fiance, please be known that the next time if you tell me that you are not coming or not around, i will just assume that you will be there instead. So be there! Idc! Serve you right. Hahaha.

Last but not least, Alhamdulillah for everything. Thank you to my family, to everyone who was helping, came to our house and those who were part of my engagement. I can never thank you enough. May Allah bless every one of you. Amin! After all, destiny is in the hands of Allah. There are three things that are already written for us since the very beginning; Death, wealth and who we marry. Allah knows. Allah knows. May Allah rest His blessings upon us and ease everything for me, my fiance and our families throughout this engagement period. Amin YRA. InsyaAllah.

P/S: There are plenty of other fish in the sea. Obviously my rod already succeed to catch my one and only. Other female can use their baits and go fishing somewhere else. Haram ganggu tunangan orang. Okay bye. 

IT'S A LONG (PRODUCTIVE) MONTH

I don't know about others but somehow, i like it when i'm busy. Not too busy but just busy. I like it when i have work to be done, i like it when i am required to go places and i like it when looking at good things done, and i know it was me who did it or part of it. It's just one of the reasons to keep my heart warm. And to know that i am still relevant and worth it. Lol. 

These previous weeks had been eventful for me. It was all started when i applied for a one week break from the office to go to Yogyakarta with my sister. And suddenly, for the week before that, i was required to be at Hotel Seri Malaysia, Port Dickson for a week for Program Transformasi Minda (PTM). PTM is one of the in-service verification requirements for the government servants.

I started to feel ill at ease because just like that, it marks two weeks of me being off from the office. And i am very much aware that i had so many works to be done. Nonetheless, at the same time, i had to be 'selfish' and be happy that i was granted two weeks off from the office. Hahaha. 

Btw, Jogja was breath-taking. I guess everybody knows that Jogja is very famous with Borobudur and gondola ride. But one major thing i learn from Jogja was, at most of the villages, barter remains central to day-to-day subsistence. It's kinda blow my mind off because i really thought that barter is no longer today. Damn. I love how the places we know very little about often turn out to be the most fulfilling. Actually, I was thinking of writing a blog post in detail about Jogja but then, because of time constraint, this will have to do. 

And proudly to announce, I AM GRADUATED WITH MASTER OF SCIENCE IN APPLIED STATISTICS! My convocation was held on the 9th October. It's crazy how when i was studying, i was thinking of writing a long caption on my Instagram / blog post, talking about how challenging, how exhausting, how frantic was the journey to achieve this. But when the day of the event, i just have no idea of what to write as my Instagram caption. In fact, i have no idea on what to write here too. Haha.

Above all, Alhamdulillah for this. Thank you for my family for always be there for me, letting me do whatever i want to do, no matter how delicate i was / am in everything. And thank you to AA for surprising me by attending my convocation day. He managed to convinced me that he wasn't able to come but then, there he was. Hehe. 

Last but not least, we went to Muar, Johor for three days to celebrate Hari Statistik Negara (MyStats Day) & Sambutan 70 Tahun DOSM. I went to Muar by car all alone at night with my Kancil that my mom was worried sick that she asked me to buy a new car instead hahaha. But hey, my Kancil may be old, but she is a tough cookie okay. She may have come so far but she can go further. Watch her! Haha.

MyStats Day went well i must say. The final event was at Dewan Jubli Intan Sultan Ibrahim, Muar. And thank god for Hairul (our officemate), he is from Muar. After all of the events are done, he took us to experience Muar by eating his mom's home-cooked mee bandung, went to the Muar souvenirs shop to buy mee bandung paste and etc, went to Tanjung Emas and finally went to the famous Kopi 434 for final refreshment before we go back to reality.

Aside from these, I also went to Plenary Hall, KLCC, Putrajaya Marriott Hotel and Parliament of Malaysia for other work / events. And i probably will be going to Bangi Convention Centre these coming days for another workshop. I mean, there will be more coming, more to do, more to experience, more to be happy and stressed about. But for now, Alhamdulillah for everything.

Tbh, these previous days had been kinda hard for me. Nevertheless, every time i'm feeling all of the negative vibes, i remind myself that, having a job can cause so much stress, but then again, so does not having a job. Pressure and problem are just everywhere. I can either run from them or deal with them. So, brb, planning my next day off. Lol!

P/S: My Master's Dissertation is already published online as a journal! Gotta save the link here for myself hehe: Springer Link.

WE MADE IT UNTIL GREEN BELT (BLUE TAG)

Tbh, my sister is always into martial art. She wanted to learn and know the basic of at least one in a lifetime but never really got the chance to learn one before. Until when our Kak Lin invited us to join Taekwondo class at Titiwangsa, KL on every Sunday morning at 9am together with her daughter, who is as well, our little cousin, Damia. So yeah, we signed up for the class because why not right?

We were the only 'adults' in the class lol. Me and my sister were in the same batch with Damia. Oh, our first day was on the 25th March 2018 which was last year. Damia was only seven back then. All of her same age friends were in the same group with me and my sister. Haha. It was really fun though. I mean, it's funny how the kids never really listen to the Masters (read: Taekwondo teachers) but they did pick up and memorized everything. When you were learning the same lesson together with the kids, the Master won't really be mad at you for anything because the kids can messed up better hahaha. 

Having class on Sunday morning was somehow a challenge. We skipped on purpose literally every two or three weeks. There were times when we were tired during the weekdays and don't feel like attending the class on Sunday. And sometimes, we got kenduri and etc. Tbh, i started to skip the Taekwondo class very frequently once when i was already in Sungkai, Perak. Then, few weeks before the Blue Belt grading, me and my sister decided to call it a quit. Not only because the spirit wasn't there anymore but because of many other constraints along with it. One of it was the radius distance from where we currently stay to Titiwangsa, KL. 

So we made it until the Green Belt, Blue Tag. Literally one belt closer until the Blue Belt. Tbh, i was very firm to quit the class but once we informed our Masters (Master Yap Yih Tiing & Master Yap Seong) that we wanted to quit, i feel like a big lost for myself. Shame. One, because we were already halfway to the Black Belt. My initial intention was not to quit until the Black Belt. But as much as i wanted to pursue Taekwondo, i know it too well that we will not going to commit our 100% especially because the class is held on only every Sunday morning.

Two, because i feel like i am currently doing nothing at the moment other than working. It's crazy how months ago, there were so many to achieve; to finish my dissertation, to get a permanent job, aiming to get the Taekwondo Black Belt. But when two of these are checked and i decided to quit Taekwondo, i ended up feeling empty on the inside. Like, okay what now? Haha.

I may sound like whatever but that is truly how i feel at the moment. I think i should figure out something else on what to do with my life other than just wake up in the morning, go to work and come back from work. Yknow. But definitely not to pursue PhD at the moment lol. I mean, give me a break for a second. I do love relaxing at home after work doing nothing. But not entirely nothing. Brb singing, "there must be more than this provincial life".

I know most of us already got their Black Belt since high school or etc. But i am still happy for myself (and my sister) even though we only managed to achieve until the Green Belt (for now). Some of my friends did laugh at me for started a Taekwondo class at such age while i was not even that physically tough cookie and needless to mention, because i was / am fat (?) But i believe that not many of us have the courage to attend class together with kids that were 18 years younger, while knowing that they were all can do better. So yeah. Me and my sister might not know the simple tricks of self defense when we were younger, but we know some now. At least to prepare for the rainy days. 

P/S: Learning is a lifelong process. Nobody is telling us to learn new things only during our young ages. 

62ND ISI WSC 2019

ISI WSC 2019 Official Theme Song by Adibah Noor

I am always thankful of how God bless me much more than i deserve. Like how i am at the right place during the right time. One of the blessings is the 62nd International Statistical Institute World Statistics Congress 2019 (ISI WSC 2019) that is currently held in Kuala Lumpur starting from 18th - 23rd August 2019. The ISI WSC takes place once in every two years in different countries worldwide and organized by or in partnership with the host country's National Office of Statistics. As for Malaysia, the National Office of Statistics is the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). 

ISI WSC is literally like Olympics for Statistics. The first WSC was held in Rome during the 1887. Last time, it was held at Marraketh, Morocco in 2017. This year in Malaysia. And for next two years, it will be held at The Hague, The Netherlands on 2021. The mission is to promote the understanding, development and good practice of statistics worldwide. 

Truth to be told, though i studies Statistics ever since my Diploma, i never aware of this kind of congress. Shame. But this year i got to witness and experience the congress myself. Even though i am not one of the active working committees or delegates, but since i am working at DOSM, then i got about the same opportunity. Alhamdulillah. 

The first event was the World Stats (WSC) Run to create public awareness on the World Statistics Congress. I signed up for the 10km Women Government and i forced my sister to joined the 10km just to accompany me lol. We both never did 10km tbh. And this was the second run that i joined. The first that i joined time was the Stats Asean Run 2017. It was just a 3km run but i was literally dead. Hahaha such a weak lamb. 

During my 4 months of kursus at Sungkai, Perak, our Directors told us to run 5km (and 10km for the guys) and submit our pace, time, whatever to them. I did 5km in 1 hour 9 minutes which was still a success for someone like me. And for the 10km WSC Run, we made it earlier actually but we were so busy taking photos before crossing the finish line, so our time recorded for 10km was 2 hours 3 minutes. The cut off time was 2 hours hahaha. Whatever. As long as i made it to the finish line in 1 piece.  

I also went for the opening ceremony at Plenary Hall, KLCC. Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was present at the opening ceremony along with Minister of Economic Affairs and Bank Negara Malaysia Governor. This was the very first time i saw and met Tun in real life. The way he talks already inspiring me like a lot. Crazy hahaha. Before the opening ceremony, there was a special session by Tony Fernandez that talked about Air Asia: More Than Just An Airline. It was an inspiring talk because Air Asia may be the cheapest airline in town but still, Air Asia was not built in a day. And it was not all sunny journey as well. 

On the 20th August, i went to KLCC for the congress as a representative for my division. Nothing much, just went to KLCC to see the presentations and to learn new things as many as possible. Once again, the timing was just so right that during the night, there was an event: Malaysia By Night at the Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach Resort. My name was registered during the evening, and we took the bus together with the delegates around the world from KLCC to Sunway Lagoon. It was a buffet night event with variety of local dishes and performances on Malaysia's heritage. Definitely a night to remember for all the delegates. I got to eat extra (i counted 8) dim sum than usual and even tapau another dim sum home hahaha. Thank God for good foods.

Today is the last day of the congress. And oh, do listen to the Official Song: Statistics Bloom in Harmony by Adibah Noor. It's not a lame song at all trust me. But a cool song instead. We listen to this song every morning through the PA system in our office. Hehe. I never really had a dream of presenting paper in a congress. In fact, i was not even keen when my Master's Degree Supervisor told me about presenting my dissertation paper at Center of Iizuka Research and Development, Iizuka, Japan this end of August because i was busy with my work instead. My Supervisor will be going there presenting the paper. I believe it was just not my time yet. Maybe in the future insyaAllah. Above all, Alhamdulillah for all of these opportunities. 

I PLEDGE TO READ THE PRINTED WORD

To be frank, i have never been a bookworm. I never really read books. I can't even remember the last book that i read passionately (other than academic books that i read by force lol). I adore those bookworms who bring books, read everywhere during their free time and even have a mini (or maxi) library of their own. I wish and i would like to be one of them but most of the time, i just prefer to do things online because it's easier and cheaper that way (such cheapskate). I spend most of time my reading things on Facebook which sometimes there are good things to read there too. I even gained some good knowledge just by being on Facebook.

For example, the very recent one was, i just learn that our washing machines are actually dirtier that we think. It might be dirtier than our toilet (!) This is because the water that settles at the bottom of the washing machine is a breeding ground for bacteria. The article promotes the importance of cleaning washing machines for hygiene and it suggests us to cleaning our washing machines once in a while by running a cycle with a mixture of hot water and bleach. 

See? Just being on Facebook is not really that bad at all. Especially everything on earth is posted online these days. But still, reading books should never gets old. Even though we are in the time where we should go green everywhere. But books should be excepted.

I think i should start a new resolution for me to becoming a bookworm and to read more online and offline. Not just because i think being a bookworm is cool but because i am very lacking in knowledge especially on general knowledge. On a scale of 1 to 10, i can say that my general knowledge is just 3. Or maybe just 2. Sad. Plus these days, my internet usage was skyrocketing because i spend most of my nights alone in my room. Hence, i browsed the internet more frequent than ever. I even upgraded my internet data from UMobile to Celcom. Lol.

Previously, i was staying in a room for one too but back then, i filled my time finishing my dissertation or sleep early during the free time. But now, since i don't do my work at home (because i prefer to get everything done before i go home), so, i literally have the whole night to myself. I was once considering to subscribe Netflix. But then nah, enough expenses on monthly basis already.

So, to start my reading resolution, yesterday, i went to the MPH Bookstore at Alamanda, Putrajaya to get myself some good books to read. As for me, i prefer motivational books above all. So as what i always did (other than going to my happy place, the stationary section lol), i went to the motivational book section. And guess what was the first word i read? F*CK. Haha.

I guess it is somehow a marketing purpose like, "Okay, let's put the word f*ck in every title to increase the buying temptation. Because people nowadays curse a lot. Those who curse, will surely buy this. And Thesaurus what? F*ck is indeed, the best word of all". Hahaha jkjk. But these books are not new actually. I have seen some of my friends posted online that they have read these f*ck titled books. All positive reviews. I might be buying these too for myself in the future. 

So, i bought three books instead of only one. Being A Quran Tag Girl, Letters to God and The Principal Girl: Feminist Tales from Asia. It's funny how the first book i was attracted to was the Being A Quran Tag Girl book. I admit that i don't read Quran that often. I used to have a mission to khatam the Quran as many time as i can in a year which means that i have to read the Quran as often as i can. Then i read somewhere, questioning the purpose of reading the Quran. Asking, why read the Quran in speed? We can khatam the Quran like 1000 times in a lifetime. But what is the meaning of the 1000 times repetition if we don't even understand and appreciate the content of Quran? Wow. It hits me hard. Then i slowly read the tafsir daily, and suddenly i stopped reading until today. But in the end, it is better to ready the Quran in speed than not reading it at all. Shame on me. 

To make sure that i keep up with this reading resolution, i will document all the books that i read in this blog. I know the list will be growing slowly like probably only one book per month or another. But at least i know that i am reading the printed word (or maybe just stories on Wattpad) without fail. I remember the first time when i started to be back active with writing three year ago. Back then i wish to write once a week or maybe once a month. I keep track with myself and always trying to find ideas to pour here so that i never stop writing. Little did i know that after three years, i am still writing tirelessly and always gets excited when i am about to blog about something. So, i wish this will be the same with me and reading. And of course, for me to frequently reading the Quran as well. 

This resolution is evergreen. Which it will not only going to benefit me for a short period but for a long time. I really hope that i will keep on reading and make it as my habit until the end of the time. And to whoever that reading this (if any lol), if you are not a bookworm or if you don't read that much, let this be your resolution as well. Because all good things are meant to be shared. Let's do this. Slowly and surely. Bismillah.

SHE'S A SCAMMER!

Guess everybody is well aware that the internet is littered with scams here and there such as attempts to gain our personal information, dating scams, investment scams, fake charities and many more. I, too am well aware of most of these modus operandi. Especially during this technology era that everyone can freely share about what happened in a very brief moment of time. Where we, at the same time, can learn about so many things just by being online even for just minutes.  

As for me, i don't have much experience with scammers. Though i am somehow and avid online shopper that i ordered lots of things online (and plenty more to go). But Alhamdulillah, every orders were delivered as wished. Oh, as for other type of scams, i did experience few guys even one from Saudi Arabia that Yahoo Messenger-ed me, begged me to be his wife. Lol (what even?) There was also this one Malaysian guy pretended that he didn't understand Malay but English only (duh), dm-ed me on Instagram and proposed me to be in a relationship with him online. No meet ups, just online. Hahaha. But don't worry, i'll never fall for that kind of nonsense. And i hope that nobody ever will too.

However, very recently, i was almost scammed by this one MUA on my best friend's wedding day. I already exposed about her and her Instagram account on my social media but i deleted the posts right after she refunded back my money. But since this was my first ever case that involved my money, so i don't want to forget about this and will leave it all here. In my blog. Haha. But i already forgive her already. No grudge no worries.

Long story short, i hired a MUA to doll me up as a bridesmaid on Sarah's wedding. On the day of my appointment with her, she told me that her dad passed away and she couldn't make it for the makeup session at Shah Alam since she's already on her way to balik kampung at Ipoh. She also told me to give her my account number for her to refund my money. This news was a shocking one that made me speechless of how anything can happen in a day. And all i said to her was "It's okay, Allah loves your father more". And thank God for Sarah's Mama's MUA that were at the same place with me at that time. So even when my MUA bailed on me, i still get to doll up. How God is the Greatest planner right? 

I didn't give her my account number right away on that day because i don't want to push her while her dad just passed away. So i waited few days to finally send her my account number for refund but she didn't respond to the text at all. I guess she might be busy and hit me back later on. On the next day, Sarah reminds me about the refund and suddenly we were talking about Instagram that the conversation required me to search for her Instagram account. And guess what? I just realized that she blocked me on Instagram because i couldn't find her Instagram at all using my account. 

I played dumb and asked her why i couldn't find her Instagram. And again, she just keep shut, didn't respond to any but keep being online on Whatsapp. Then i confronted her on the issue and then she just replied, "sekejap ye". But the sekejap turned out to be hours. Lol. 

On the next day, i told her to refund my money by noon. Or else, i will expose her to the public and report her to the police. Especially when she was all online on Whatsapp and active on her Instagram which was obvious enough that she was ignoring me on purpose. And again, she just replied "sekejap ye" and ignored me again for another effing hours. Of course, i ran out of my patience. Then i asked, "Kenapa tak refund lagi ya? Apa issue dia sebenarnya? Apa yang susah sangat?". Because she really was ignoring me on purpose without any valid explanation. And then she was like, "Busy. Sabo jap. If by tonight tak refund, nak report, report lah". Wow. Just wow. I told her by noon but now it's postponed to tonight. And she also blocked my Whatsapp right away after she replied that. Smh.

During the night, i was waiting and waiting and i just couldn't wait anymore. I dm-ed her using my idle IG shop about the refund because she blocked my personal Instagram and 2 of my Whatsapp numbers (!) And right after she read my message, she blocked my IG shop pula right after. SHE. WAS. INSANELY. RUDE. 

And so, right after that, i posted a screenshot of her Instagram account on my social media accounts. Yes. It was a viral attempt. I spill everything on the posts because i believe that if she can do that to me, lied to me, blocked me and took my money, it is possible enough for her to do the same damn thing to another. Imagine if she did this to 10 people or 20 or many more? And i stand with berani kerana benar philosophy. Because there's no way she can twist me on that issue. NO. EFFING. WAY! All the evidence are with me, i got all the screenshots and whatnot. I mean, i hate doing the harsh way but if i had to, i will do it. 

And guess what? After only about 15 minutes of the viral attempt, she unblocked me on Whatsapp and returned my money back to me. Alhamdulillah. She told me that she was really busy. Then i thanked her and said that i don't mind if she didn't has the time yet. But why blocked me everywhere? And just like that, she blocked me again for the very last time. Hahahaha. I swear it was the funniest of her. But don't worry girl, i got my money back so i won't find you no more. Don't even want to. Enough energy i spent on you. 

Let this be a lesson to us all. This can happen anytime to anyone. I pray that i don't have to face and deal with such scammers no more especially on my big days such as engagement day or wedding day. Amin YRA! It's sad and pathetic especially how people want to take for granted and ruining someone's big day by being a scammer and steal their money. You have no idea how devastating the feeling would be. Nauzubillah. Please be reminded that during this lifetime, we can simply take people's money and belongings, twist the story, be mad at them when they are angry for your wrongdoing, shut them down and after few phases, they are tired with your crap, so they let you go. You may feel good with the current situation and proceed with another prey. But, in the hereafter, whatever you do, no matter how far you run, JUSTICE ONLY FAVORS THE TRUTH. Because Allah is never unjust in the least degree. For verily, Allah is not unjust to His servants. 

MY BEST FRIENDS ARE MARRIED!

MY BEST FRIENDS ARE MARRIED! Alhamdulillah for all the blessings. My BFF, Sarah got engaged on the 28th January 2018 on her 25th birthday. I was the only friend present at the ceremony at Bukit Jelutong. And ever since, the wedding preparations were on and on, this and that until the day of the wedding. I didn't contribute much on her wedding but what can i say is that, i've seen how she's going back and forth, here and there, how crazy worried she was over a very late reply from her MUA, how the nikah was supposed to be on the same day with the wedding reception but then the plan changed and etc etc. The hustle was just as real as it gets. 

And i am so happy that in the end, on the wedding day, everything went well just as planned. Yes, there were lacking here and there but that were only the minors and i bet no other people really see the flaws but the bride and close relatives / friends. So yeah. Alhamdulillah and i am as always, really happy for her. 

Guess i don't have much to say to her because i've said it all since i am such a grumpy mom. Lol. But knowing myself, i know there are always a lot to say especially to her. So here we go again. 

To the girl / woman who give me so much assurance that i will have that one close friend forever, that she even grow me into an independent someone who don't even bother to make time to find another close friend in the world because i know i already got one for life (but i do make new friends guys! In case if people think that i am so, whatever lol). Sarah Yazmin, tomorrow marks a week of you being a wife. And i am still stuck in between believing that you are now such a grown up woman and sumpah lah Sarah dah kahwin ni (?) Haha. I am beyond happy that you wedding was held so beautifully. Your 1+ year of planning, saving and hard work are all paid off. Since i am such a momma but sometimes sucks at giving good advice, so i've been reading and take note on few out of many marriage advice online before i blog this. Lol. Hence, here are some for you (and me) to ponder to becoming a good wife:

1. Be your spouse's best friend. By being his best friend, you got to show interest in his interests (not just vice versa). I believe that not everything that your spouse likes could interest you but do give your spouse the space to pursue his interests in whatever he choose to have interest at. So there would be no such thing as being the lame-only-stuck-with-wife guy after marriage. I'm not saying that it is the bad thing, but you know what i mean. We've seen few bad examples. So let us together avoid that. 

2. Love his family as your own and NEVER force your spouse to choose between you and his family either directly or indirectly. Because he may choose you and pick your side today and tomorrow, but in the end, same goes to us, we will realize that it was our family who were there first before our spouse. I believe that in marriage, there should never be things like, "my family" and "your family" because all together are one family now. I remember this one quote from Cinta Paling Agung movie. Not exactly but the quote sounds like this; "Suatu hari nanti, dia bisa jadi bekas suami kamu. Tetapi mama dan papa tak akan pernah jadi bekas mama dan papa kamu". The quote hit me hard of how parents and family always comes first no matter how we try put anyone before them. 

3. Last but not least; It's not about the amount of money that we spend, but it's about the thought that goes into something. I believe that this is nothing new to both of us. And so far, i guess, we did well in this department. We did and do spare our thoughts and effort for everybody that we love and care. But somehow, being a gender that have good reason for such caution, i know that we talk a lot compared to our spouse that we tend to listen with the intent to reply instead of listen with the intent to understand. What i have learned is that, to be unified, talking and listening to each other is absolutely necessary. So, always listen to him either when he was talking or when the silence do the talking. And of course, he got to listen to you too. I mean, duhh! Haha. 

After all, this is not just the advice for you but also for myself, for my own reference in the future. In the end, everybody knows the basic 'rules' and secrets to a long marriage. But how we understand and practice the 'rules' makes us differ from others. No two relationships are ever the same in this world. Therefore, we know ourselves better, we know us better compared to others. And all we can do is to always have faith, give our best and make du'a to our only Creator. InsyaAllah, the relationship and marriage will happily last forever. Amin YRA. 

Never to forget, my one and only Nadia Natasya, the one that always next to me with her marching horn / french horn for solid 5 years without failed. My cakap laju champion kinda friend, even my jemah highest level cannot beat her talking speed. Hahaha. Tasya got married the same time as Sarah. Tasya reception was on the 27th July 2019 which the same time with Sarah's reception where i was Sarah's maid of honour. 

Funny story was, i've already told in our WhatsApp group that whoever want to get married, please do not get married on the 27th July because i will be so unavailable no matter what. I remember Tasya texted me and said "Kalau aku nak kahwin juga 27/7 tu macam mana?". I was like, okayyy what now? Can i cut myself into two please? Lol! But since, i don't love Tasya that much to sacrifice and cut myself to two to death (i mean, i wish to live longer haha). So i went to Tasya's at Pekan, Pahang the next day after the reception to give Tasya her precious wedding gift, which is me in front of her eyes. Hahaha.

I went to Pahang with my sister. Thank God for the economy class flight that me and my sister can go from KL to Pahang in just 40 minutes. I wonder how cracked i would be if i have to drive all the way featuring my barai-ness from the previous reception. First stop was Tasya's house at Pekan, then we went to Kula Cakes and Teluk Cempedak together with the newlyweds, Qistina (my long lost 2 years bedmate) and Tasya's Japanese friend, Saco. It was a well spent Sunday. 

Dear Tasya, congratulations on your union with Shadiq. I am happy that you choose Shadiq to be your husband. I believe that he will be a very good husband of yours and i have no doubt of you being the best wife to him. I apologize for couldn't make it to your bachelorette party, your nikah and your wedding day. But please be known forever that if i was all available on that day, i am 1000% sure that i'll be there for you. I know you have so many close friends now that we are not that close anymore but thank you for still expecting me to be there on your big day and told me about your happiness and few disappointments during the wedding. Which i know that you still trust me even today. Please read the three bold-numbered paragraphs above as marriage advice from me to you as well hehe. May Allah bless your union and shower His blessings upon you and your husband. And unite both of you in goodness. Amin YRA. Enjoy your final year in Japan. Please come back to Malaysia for good. And even though i didn't make it to your wedding on time, i really hope that you can make it to my wedding in the future. Hahaha. Life is unfair. But at least we still love each other xx

21 QUESTIONS GAME

Has it really been 2 months? Wow guess i was really busy with my daily schedule (which i was and still am) that i can't fit blogging into it as well. Supposedly since i am already done with my kursus, i should be blogging about my experience, memories, etc like i always did for me to read it all back again in the future. But instead, today (well, it's been days actually since i've logged back in), i went blank and really have nothing to let out. It's a shame of how i have been waiting months compiling things on my brain on what to blog, but just ended up not blogging about anything at all.

But since i'm already here, so in a nutshell, my 13 weeks of kursus until end of June at ILSM, Sungkai, Perak went really well. And now i'm already at Putrajaya for i got posted at the DOSM HQ. Alhamdulillah i've been praying hard hoping that i will be posted and working at the HQ to begin with instead of state offices (which we have state offices all around the map in Malaysia) and Kader (Kader is a term for DOSM Statisticians that are posted and working at other government agencies). However, although i am now at the HQ, in 34 years from now (until my career ends), i might experience working at the state offices and Kader as well. But let's pin it for the other day.

So for today, instead of blogging about the details of my experience, i would love to do this 21 Questions Game that i found from the lifehacks blog. I will be answering all of the exact 21 questions from the blog because why not? 

1. If you had a time machine, would you go back in time or visit the future?
I would definitely go back in time so that i can meet my late grandmother and tell her that i am all okay today. And i also wanted to apologize for everything and hug her so tight because i knew it too well that i can never get the chance to do that ever again. It's heartbreaking though. Al Fatihah.

2. Would you rather have a home on the beach or in the mountains?
I would love to have a home at the beach. Right at the beach that my front yard are all sands. The waves are crawling gently to the shore and the sea breeze blows from the ocean right to my front door. Best feeling ever.

3. What was your favorite game as a child?
I never had a specific favorite game as a child. Most probably because i never get too attached to any.

4. What food do you crave most often?
I eat it all so i crave it all! However recently, i craved for K Fry Chicken Bumbuk. But i got to eat the fried chicken last Saturday with my boyfriend. Hehe another craving satisfied.

5. If you could visit one place on earth, where would you go?
Makkah al-Mukarramah.

6. What would your dream house be like?
My dream house does not need to be large, fancy or have a lot of facilities. But it has to have enough rooms for everybody and everything. And the interior has to be minimal but classy.

7. If you could own any three cars, what would they be?
Will answer this to myself later on. Because i truly have nothing on mind at the moment. Lol.

8. What makes you the angriest?
People.

9. What always brings a smile to your face?
Love and good vibes.

10. Which song reminds you the most of your life?
Tetap Dalam Jiwa by Isyana Sarasvati. This song is literally my all time favorite.

11. Which is more important, truth or happiness?
Truth. Be true to yourself and others. And happiness will follow.

12. Would you rather be rich or famous?
I'd rather be rich. Money > popularity. I mean, who cares about being famous when you have all of the money? And yeah, with money, i can buy popularity. Zass!

13. If you were a superhero, what powers would you have?
Time travel, be invisible, a power to grant wishes (especially my own wishes) and a power to protect all of the animals in the world from cruel, ruthless humans.

14. How would be your ideal partner?
Loyal, honest, love me as i am, respectful, has sense of humor, reliable, responsible and someone that can bring me closer to Allah.

15. If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?
I want to shed few kilos #sinceforever

16. Would you rather trade some intelligence for looks or looks for intelligence?
Wow this is somehow a hard one. If i trade my looks for intelligence, would i either be uglier or just fatter? And do i really want to lose some of my valuable knowledge only for vanity? Guess i just pass this one.

17. If your parents hate the partner you love, would you ditch him or carry on despite the protests?
Both of my parents are very understanding in this department. If they hate the partner that i dearly love, i will try my best to convince them. But if they still against the relationship, i believe that mother and father knows best, so i will obey them.

18. If you could choose one celebrity to be the father of your child, who would it be?
Adam Levine. Imagine how cute and good looking our baby would look like. Hehe.

19. You are walking to work. A dog is drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss told you if you are late one more time, you'll be fired. Will you save the dog?
I am not leaving any dog in the canal to die. I will definitely save the dog. Animal rights are my rights! Especially in this case, to relate, i am not a latecomer. No boss will fire me because of my time management. And the dog too, shall be okay.

20. If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
An eagle. I learn that eagle do not mix with other birds but only enjoy flying at high altitude. Eagle also can see a long distance prey / enemy. And eagle loves the storm too. So eagle it is.


21. If you could be trained up in any profession of your choice by top professionals, what profession would you choose?
Statistician.

HOW STATISTICS MATTER IN DAILY LIFE

This is one of my assignments at Institut Latihan Statistik Malaysia (ILSM).
I post it here just for my own archive.

Imagine you are a working person. It is a typical Monday morning that you wake up fresh for another week at 6.00am in the morning because you remember that last Friday you were late to work since you woke up at 7.30am instead of the usual. It takes you approximately 1 hour from your home to your workplace. Therefore, you need at least 2 hours before the working hour to get ready.

After you are all set, you then go to the kitchen to make some breakfast for one. Definitely a cup of coffee with a toast since toast is your favorite and the easiest and fastest to make. There are 4 types of your preferred jam in the fridge and even though all 4 are your favorites, your most favorite is the strawberry jam. Compared to the other 3, strawberry jam is the least left in the bottle because you spread it on your bread almost every day. And sure enough, you know that after the working hours today, albeit you still have another 3 bottles of jam in your fridge, you will still have to go to the groceries store to buy another strawberry jam for the upcoming days.

Then, you drive to work all alone as usual, take a sip of the hot coffee through your tumbler, listen to the radio and the rest of the working day is just the same as the other Mondays. Nothing extraordinary happens and the day passes by.

This may seem like a typical morning timeline to most of us, but whether you think about it or not, we use statistics every day and we rely upon standards to make our lives simpler which standards make our fast paced lives possible. Our daily life is surrounded by the product of statistics.

You are aware that last Friday you were late for work because you woke up later than the usual, hence, on the next Monday morning, you wake up at 6.00am so that the unnecessary rush in the morning can be avoided. This is actually the action from the result of your own research on time management. You too have your own most favorite jam which is the strawberry jam while you actually have a total of 4 bottles of your preference jam in the fridge. This is when bias happens.

If every drive to work is the same as the other days, will you remember exactly about what happened during the daily drive? I bet the thing that you really remember is only the thoroughfare. This is because there was nothing along the way that caused your brain to interpret a deviation. Unless, if something happens to deviate you from the norm. For example, the road you are driving is very clear, but suddenly out of nowhere, a pedestrian cross the street right in front of your car. You need to make a real-time decision to avoid collision with the pedestrian. Your response to the situation is your response to a deviation.

Our daily life is full of decisional situations. Whether we have mathematical skills or not, we frequently estimate and compare probabilities, especially when making decisions. We use statistics to analyze and forecast the situation around us. Along a clear road, we expect the car in front of us to keep going. And if we are referring to the naïve trend of forecasting, which the last period’s actual is used as this period’s forecast (without adjusting or attempting to establish causal factors), we assume that no irregular situation would happen along the road such as a pedestrian suddenly crossing the street right in front of your car or the car in front of you does something unexpectedly.

I remember when in high school one of my friends asked the mathematics teacher, “Are we really going to use mathematics in our daily life? Does mathematics really necessary?” Well, the answer is positively yes. We are not just using mathematics in real life, but also statistics, which is major part of mathematics. The previous examples itself already shown on how close statistics to our daily life. Merely most of us do not yet realize on how much statistics are used in day to day and how useful statistics can be especially in today’s era of big data where everything can be measured realistically and statistics is the medium on how to make the data useful.

Statistics in life is like blood running in our veins. There are applicable examples everywhere. Data nowadays is the new gold. I can’t think of better time to appreciate and discover statistics than now. Where the world today produces and long for more data than ever before.

In my point of view, it is not vital for all of us to go very far to see the tracks of statistics and how it weaves its way in and out of our lives. As long as we are capable to ascertain what it all means and able to see how reliable the decision based on the real story behind the numbers, we are already halfway there instead of creating superfluous myths on our minds by the day about almost everything while we have statistics to prove that implications are well captured.

In brief, statistics is important to the whole process of life for decision makings, predictions and new insights. We can save time, money and other valuable resources all by understanding number by using statistics. Statistics links to us in every activity that we do, every decision that we make, every service that we use and also every product that we consume. Time is racing and the world is rapidly changing every day. We need to ceaselessly learn and improve our aptitude to pick up the pace and comprehend the changes around us. Learn to use data and statistics resources as instrument to learn and understand at a deeper level. If not, we will be left behind and continue to be misled by the wrong information and judgment.