Being Me conference kuala lumpur

SALAM

For those of you ladies who missed the BEING ME Conference held at MATRADE Exhibition Centre on the 30th June 2012, here are my notes that I managed to jot down. Unfortunately, I don't have notes from all speakers though. Hopefully everyone can benefit from this post, insyaAllah. ;)



Session 1: Free from all other masters – Empowering women
Speaker: Yasmin Mogahed (USA)

·         Prevalent standard of a woman: man & beauty
·         In Islam, the rightful standard; the relationship with God
·         Scale of rightneous and pious
·         Men à only a companion, not a saviour
·         We are here not to please man, but to God alone!
·         What you seek is not a worldly material
·         Journey begins at marriage, where your spouse will become the greatest test
·         There are 2 types of love
o   Getting all that you wanted
o   Not about what you are getting but of what you are giving; selfless love
·         Love for men is inconsistent

Session 2: Achieving balance inside out
Speaker: Sheikh Yahya Ibrahim
·         In going through our lives, there are 2 extremes; either ADDITION or NEGATION. We must try to achieve balance between dunya and akhirah.
o   Addition
§  Too extreme in performing ibadah to Allah(e.g 24 hours always pray, no sleep, fast everyday), neglecting other dunya responsibilitiesà they will become misguided people.
§  Why is this? Because the ibadah they have done will not touch/soften their hearts as their ibadah is only of the outer experience. Instead of Ya Allah (Please guide me through this … etc …), will become Why Allah (Why me Allah? I have performed ibadah day and night, but why do you give me this … etc …)
o   Negation
§  Only living for dunya, neglecting akhirah à Obviously sinful
·         Iman tends/can fade away, therefore we must always ask for iman to revitalize in your heart. Ask from Allah!
·         Sometimes, the heart can also break. It is a shame if it breaks for other than Allah. Moreover if it is broken by someone who doesn’t love Allah, it is far way terrible/horrible.
·         At times, we may love something else more than Allah. Then need to sit back and reflect on yourself.
·         Always trust Allah is there to guide us through.
·         Take lessons from what you see around you. Never will Allah let you get away unchallenged!
·         Tip: Read 3 times surah Al-Ikhlas, get pahala of reading whole Quran. Read 10 times, a palace is built for you in Jannah.



Session 4: The power of change
Speaker: Dr Fadilah Grine

·         Most important thing about change: IDEA/PERCEPTION
·         Feel the fear of changing because that is your enemy!
·         Remember that
o   If we only fear Allah: we tend to become extremist
o   If we only love Allah: we tend to disobey Him
o   If we fear & love Allah: a good balance!
·         People are able to twist religion. Eg; cultural aspects etc.
·         Allah will never change somebody unless they change what is in themselves.
·         Change is a process that comes from within
·         The Rasul always istighfar 100 times/day
·         In order to change, we must have plans and goals that you need to achieve.
·         Change step by step, not all at one go.
·         No delay, no negotiation, must change to a better person!

Session 5: Do we really love Allah the most?
Speaker: Yasmin Mogahed

·         Love is like a lawsuit à you need evidence
·         The heart is only for God, and for Him alone. If it is not, the need to shift/change.
·         If the heart is only for man, remember that marriage is only half of deen.
·         Whatever lives in the heart describe you. Askthese questions to yourself
o   What are you most afraid of losing?
o   What do you think of when you wake up?
o   What do you think of when you go to sleep?
o   What do you think during solah?
·         Love speaks for itself!

Back in Time : NZ 08

I was browsing through old photos and videos and I came across this! It was from our NZ winter trip back in 2008. Gosh, I miss these people and that place sooo much! Enjoy!

p/s : vid is a bit blurry though. al-maklumlah pakai camera murah je.. haha :P

Hope its not too late to say Happy New Year, 2012!

It has been almost 2 weeks since we arrived to Year 2012. My, how time flies. It feels like just yesterday I peeked through my bedroom window watching the New Year's fireworks celebration. hehe. It wasn't that spectacular, but still OK laaa.

Anyway, 2011 has truly been one hell of a year! There were times when life was super awesomeeeee and there were also times when it was just rough and crazy! So many things happened, good and bad. I made new friends, did a few crazy things I never thought I would do, received too many gifts that I really really am grateful of, traveled to many places that I've never been to, graduated from uni (yay!), lost a few pounds (no, this did not happen! haha) and so much more!

Taking a look back, the first few months, I spent most of my time deciding what I wanted to do with my life. As I just finished with my degree, I was really looking forward to start working. As an engineer perhaps? haha. I really cant decide. I went job hunting for few weeks, applying to various companies (honestly, x lebih 10 pun! hihi), but NONE replied! pfft. I registered on SPA too, but did not receive any calls. Plus, the dad urged me to continue with masters. Since I also have the dream to become a lecturer / researcher, I thought why not? Well, I'm almost done with 1st sem already now. :)

Not long after that, I received my 1st car! I was way tooooo happy when dad told me he was going to buy me one. Since he was the one buying, he got to choose which car. Well it didn't really bother me that much as long as its my own car. hehe. vroomm~ But little did I know, that owing a car means more money to spend to maintain it. heh. happy sekejap je la. Then, had to isi minyak every week, pergi hantar servis apa semua, terbang duit! That meant less shopping for me! haiyaaa.



In march, it was Graduation Day! I didn't fly all the way to Adelaide, though that was the initial plan. I chose to graduate in Singapore for some reasons. Anyway, the whole family came along. Thank you so much to Uncle Rosdi and family for having us that time, and also for touring us around Singapore. heeee :)
oh and I hate my graduation photos coz wearing that robe made me looked like as if I weighed 100kg. dannngggg.

And then came April. I went to Vietnam for the first time. Together with my aunts+uncle who were involved in the clothing business. This was the start that I realized I reallyyyy wanted to have my own business! As in having a real shop/boutique. I loveeee selling clothes coz then I can take whichever I want for myself too. heheee. :P
Well it was a fun trip overall. Fun fact about Vietnam: People over there use motorcycles as the main mode of transportation. The number of motorcycles on the roads were massive! Plus they're really noisy. Everybody's like bunyikan hon masing2. PIN PIN PINNNNN! And if u observe how they drive on the roads, its as if macam xde rules jalan raya je. main masuk suka hati je lane, kereta/motor in all directions, etc. crazyyy. But its amazing that no accidents seemed to occur!

packed!


Another big event in 2011 was me and Aisyah teamed up to be business partners and start our own online shopping site. We drafted the plan for like 1 month plus, and then had it going for like a few months. haha. At 1st, we're like really geared up and excited to run it, but then since both of us had too many commitments during that time, we survived for only 3-4 months. But it was a good experience though. Let me reveal the site for the 1st time on my blog. Jeng3.

www.shopaholiclove.com

Heee. Tapi dah x update dah so sila jangan order. :P


Halfway through 2011, I started to indulge in running events. Thank youuu cik Yasmin Ayub coz you were the one that introduced this to me. hehe. So far I've only managed to do 10k runs. Still not fit enough to do more than that yet. Will see how it goes in 2012! hehe. :)

And then, there's Ramadhan and Syawal! My first time puasa and raya in Malaysia after 4 freakin' years! It felt gooooooood, but I can't deny the fact that I really do miss spending eid in Adelaide. Riding the WBR 495, going from one house to another, visiting friends and makan2.I really2 miss those moments. T_____T


Our very own WBR 495


After raya, me and the mum went for a trip to Bandung+Jakarta together with my aunts+uncle again. Shopping was heaven! hehe I was like grabbing all the things I liked in the shops, spending till the very last rupiah I had with me. :P
The Indonesians were very nice and friendly too. Their customer service was superb. The staffs in the shops were all friendly and warm. Teringat zaman kat Adelaide dulu, almost everyone was friendly. The sales person will always greet you and they wont follow you around like you're going to steal something from the shop. seriouslyyy. haha. Anyway, the best thing in Bandung was the brownies! The famous brand is Kartikasari, and I ate one box of brownies, MYSELF. sedap gilaaa kott.

omg droooooooools!


Anyway, one of my achievements in 2011 was I learned how to play the guitar! Now I know how to play Buat Aku Tersenyum by Sheila on 7. yayyy! but I still have to practice more though. kadang2 main, salah chords, terpetik salah, etc. But when I get to finish the whole song without any mistakes, I feel really satisfied man. hehe :D

OK, moving on.

By the end of 2011, I had the chance to go to Singapore! hehe. Went to Universal Studios and it was super awesome! One thing I regret though; I forgot to bring along flip flops so I had to wear wedges that were like 3 inches tall. There's no need to explain how painful my ankles were. Everytime we had to queue and stopped walking, I would take off the wedges and stand with just my bare feet. Siyes sakit gileee.
Anyway, I stayed over at Mak Sham's place. Her condo was really nice and she has her own lift that opens up straight into her house. Best gile. When I was a kid, I've always wanted a house like that. haha.

because I like jumping so much?


Not long after I came back from Singapore was my birthday! dangg i'm getting older each day.. can't we just get younger and younger everyday? tetibe teringat cite Benjamin ape ntah tuh. Ok, abaikan itu. Anyways, thank you thank you to those who wished for my birthday and also for those who surprised me with gifts + belanje makan etc. I feel so blessed! :)
And a very very very big thanks to my parents, who, gave me the best gift everrrr this year! Yes, I launched my very own clothing shop on my birthday. heeeheee. come come to Liyana Boutique located at WartaWalk Bazaar, Bdr Baru Bangi. jgn dtg tgk je, dtg shopping sekali kayy. :D

So far, business is doing good. Its still too early to give stats on anything, but as far as I can see, it would be a success in a few more months. hehe positive thinking there! it really is fun to manage your own shop, and at the same time, be reallyyyyy exhausting. It may look easy, but you just have to experience it yourself to know how tiring it can be to deal with everything. Managing stocks, dealing with suppliers, finding workers, entertaining customers, decorating the shop, steaming the clothes, updating the display clothings, designing flyers, hanging up buntings and banners, etc etc. Anyhow, I still love the work albeit the tiredness. :)

Wohooo OK done with the 2011 review.

And now comes 2012. Well, it has been a good start so far. I went hiking at Gunung Angsi last weekend. It was quite tough, I must say. 4 hours going up, 2 hours down. fuhh. I had sore muscles for like 3-4 days! But I really did feel the satisfaction when we all reached the summit. heaven! :D am really looking forward for the next hiking trip! Most probably, we'll be going for the Skytrex adventure first, end of this month. See how la. if jadi, besttttnyeee! heeehee cant wait! :D



Anyway, since its a new year, I've come up with my own version of new year's resolutions. hehe. So for 2012, some of my resolutions are:

jeng3....


1. To finish ALL lab experiments this year
2. To finish at least a half marathon
3. To save up money for travelling to any of these countries; Korea/Japan/Europe.or perhaps go back to OZ. hehe
4. To get back all the capital costs spent for opening up business within first half of 2012
5. To wear more loose clothes. Or probably just loose weight. So that all the tight clothes automatically become loose. haha :P
6. To be a better muslim. In many terms.
7. To get married? hahaha no laaa. kidding2. :P

and soooo much more. but most importantly, to make each day better than yesterday. to look forward and be more positive. to appreciate the people around me and to look after the ones that I should give my fullest attention and care.

As a whole, to be a better person, inside out. :) amin!