Week 11

It's week 11 here in UTP. 3 weeks left before our finals begin.

Life is hectic as usual, I've a presentation and test this week, 3 tests + 2 project events next week and possibly a presentation as well. 

May Allah ease. Let this year's last month be a wonderful month :D 

The Food Diaries Project

I've always struggled with the extra fat in my body. I mean, that muffin top is really hard to get rid of. 

So this semester I've been trying (really hard) to get into shape by working out, running and going to the gym (succeeded only once, meh). 

But did you know what contributes more to your health are the things you eat, instead of how long you work out? 80% of your diet will determine your body shape/weight, while the rest is determined by your exercises.

So, I decided to take things slowly and start with my food plan first. Once in a while I try to work out, but if I'm too busy with assignments and projects, then planning my meals are easier. 

1. THE BREAD EXPERIMENT 

Now, I love bread. So I experimented bread with a few ingredients I don't normally use. And here are the results :D 

French Toast with Kaya.

Not sure if this is a 100% healthy but it is tasty. Plus I love mixing bread with eggs!

Peanut Butter with Bananas Sandwich

I found this tip online from @twt_gym (Twitter). Surprisingly this is really tasty! I used crunchy peanut butter. Now, peanut butter is a great source of protein, energy and weight loss. But the more natural the peanut butter the better! 

More info on peanut butter here.

French Toast with Cinnamon. 

Now, there are tons of health benefits associated with cinnamon. You can refer to the post here on WikiHow. Cinnamon aids in curing flu, reducing heart disease and even smelling cinnamon can boost your brain function! I tried sprinkling cinnamon in green tea and on bread and it's not that bad. Don't overdo it, or else you'll be sneezing and the strong spicy smell might turn off your appetite. 

I have yet to try cinnamon on grilled apples, or cinnamon on toast! 

2. DRINKS

I've only tried 2 types of drinks to increase weight loss: 

Green Tea (with lemon) 

 and Lemon Detox Water

Some interesting info about these two drinks:  

Types of detox water. I usually use lemon, have yet to try with cucumbers and oranges.

But using just lemons does have it's own kick. It's sour but you get used to the taste. It cleans out all the toxins in your bowels so that actually aids in reducing your weight. 

Overall, I think reducing my meal plans to more eggs, wheat, oats, fresh fruits and more healthier drinks helped me a bit in losing those extra fat around my stomach. I still got a long way to go.

Who knows maybe I'll even go out for a run this evening. 

Or have a cheat day :3 

Haha kidding!

Hope you found these info useful, and let me know if you've got interesting health tips to share :D

The Road To Extraordinary

Asides from the wonderful typography, it's a pretty good quote, no?

Praying for a wonderful journey that will make me extraordinary. Like they always say:

 "There's no such things as hard things, just challenges"

Roughly 9 Weeks Left

...Until my internship begins. 

And guess what? Alhamdulillah I managed to secure a place here:

Where the plant in Port Dickson looks like this at night:

Alhamdulillah, I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity to do my internship here for the next 7 months. I got Health, Security, Safety and Environment (HSSE) Department which relates to Chemical Engineering, though not physically technical as much as I'd hoped. But you know what? I've heard so many negative comments about this department:

"HSE? OMG that's so boring. All you do is office work and no chance to do anything technical"

"Bapak bosan department HSE, buat filing and report je"

"HSE huh? Well...it won't be much, but at least the company's good"

And I'm DONE listening to this kind of negative feedback, who probably are just pissed about something else and decides to spoil the mood for me.

I've been focusing on some positive comments instead:

"HSE? That's highly sought for these days. What do you mean it's not technical? You need to know EVERYTHING about the plant, that's technicality right there."

"It's a good department, not many ventured into it yet. You got a real opportunity there"

"HSE? Ok ape, asalkan dpt company bagus, insyallah dapat department mane2, smua okay"

"Don't listen to other people, they're just envious. It's a really good department with high potential in the future"

Of course, my spirits went down after listening to the negative comments, but one senior gave me a great piece of advice. 

Regardless of where you go, if you don't push yourself to perform in that particular area, what's the point? If you're good and hardworking, you'll make through it. You'll succeed anywhere. If you're bad....then you'll be bad wherever you go. And you can't blame any department for that.

It took some time to get over my sorrows, but I realised that even if I got other departments like Process, Control or even Office-Based work, I'd give it my all and perform my best. Cause everyone starts at the bottom. And to go far from your starting point, you have to be willing to try your best at something. With this, respect is earned and your career more defined. 

So, here's to giving a 120% (though I don't believe in irregular percentages, but you get my point) into something regardless of whether I'll be good at it. Here's to making the best out of my 7-months internship and being the best trainee I could possible be for this company. 

Here's to new adventures in Port Dickson, HSSE, and all the beautiful memories along the way. 

Turning 21

I turned 21 last Wednesday. I don't feel any different physically. But I have always looked forward to my 20's years. People always tell me that your 20's are crucial to develop your personality, career and life aspirations. 

Once I watched this video: Why 30 is not the new 20

And ever since then, I've been more focused in aiming to achieve my own personal goals. Like curb my depression fits, or be more independent, craft a wonderful journey to a career I hope to still love in the next 20-30 years. And all of that starts now. 

I must say, my mom has always been my biggest inspiration. She was the one who always pushed me to do well in my studies and make a name out of myself. She never got the chance to pursue a college education since she had to work and help support her family. It was rough back then, and I am grateful to have lived a more comfortable life compared to my parents who had to work hard to give us this life. Knowing this, it made me more anxious of developing myself the moment I turned 20 last year. 

Things I learned for the past 20 years: 

1. Anger and jealousy is just a wasted emotion.
2. So is caring what EVERYONE thinks of you. The opinions of those who knows you is what matters.
3. It's alright to be weird and by yourself. It's better than fitting in a place where you don't belong.
4. Stop pleasing everyone. It's not worth it.
5. Make life goals. And a plan. The planning part is crucial.
6. I cannot emphasize this any stronger: Plan and don't take into account the negative, destructive comments that you will inevitably receive.

And being 21, it just fuels my enthusiasm and motivation to at least try to be better than I was before. If you read my last post, you'd know how I struggled with social perception of being a bookworm/nerd. Well, I'm shedding off the layers of humiliation I've allowed to rest on my skin, and it's time to not care what others think of me, and achieve what I was born to do.

Be different. 

And be the best I could be.

Knowing Your Strength

You know what I've realised in the past week? 

Your intelligence is sometimes defined by your OWN terms, not by everybody else.

When I went for the interview last week, I didn't expect to be shortlisted, let alone selected to be one of their vacation trainees. I've always had people underestimating me, telling me that all I'm worth is just the CGPA on my CV, nothing more. 

And over time, I've believed them...

Ever since secondary school, my peers would made me feel like I'm just a nerd who's book smart but probably isn't worth anything outside my classes. Same goes for college. Which is why I strive so hard to join events and develop my communication skills and critical thinking whenever I find myself in a sticky situation. 

But being selected and offered a place for internship, ahead of everyone else, made me realise one crucial thing about myself. 

I do have my own potential(s). I could count on one hand the amount of people who believed me...and I don't have enough fingers or even toes to count the amount of people who don't. And the difference between these 2 groups of people?

One knows me very well, while the other is just a group that merely comments.

Though I must admit, the latter group is very important for self-improvement and taking criticism in a positive way, but it shouldn't ever waver your motivation and inspiration to be your best. To find motivation and the willpower to move on, you need the first group.

They can be your parents, best friend, room mate, mentor, lecturers, anyone who inspires you to do better. Who advises you to test the uncharted waters cause they know you'll swim back alive.

I know this internship issue is just a temporary phase in my life, and I'll have future work-related issues to think about, but right now at this point in my life. I'm proud of myself and the journey I've traveled. I'm glad that I did listen to the second group of people, but never allowed them to define my abilities and success in the past 21 years. 

I'm glad I get to define intelligence in my own terms now. 

And I'm so glad to have surround myself with amazing people like these who never fail to inspire me with their own success and ongoing life achievements.

Renewing my confidence have never felt so good. 

So here's to all my sources of inspiration and to all who ever doubted me. 

"It's not about what you've achieved, it's about the future achievements you have yet to achieve" - Mohamad Nazmi Zaidi

Schlumberger Interview Tips

Hello awesome people, I hope your week has been wonderful. I on the other hand have been busy with internship applications and guess what? I just had an interview yesterday morning, with none other than the famous oil services company, Schlumberger!

Now, I myself know fully well that I probably won't get a tough position as a SLB Intern, so I went to the interview feeling relaxed, calm and with the mindset of just experiencing the whole process :) 

We had 3 stages overall:

1. Self introduction which lasts about 3 minutes 
2. Group task where you had to build a paper bridge.
3. Shortlisted candidates (alhamdulillah, I was one of the 12 shortlisted) will go trough a one on one interview.

Halfway through stage one, I started taking notes I gained from watching all 30 candidates undergoing the interview, and I decided to share it with you guys here. I hope you'll find it beneficial, not only for future SLB interviews but for other work related interviews :) 

First is the Stage ONE. You see, stage one is where we had to introduce our self in front of everyone. Now that was unexpected, more so when I was the first candidate on the list. I got up and started stuttering my way through. They asked us to introduce ourselves, explain our strengths and weaknesses and the reason of entering SLB. 

TIPS FOR STAGE ONE (introducing yourself):

1. First impressions DO COUNT. Dress appropriately, choose subtle colours, make sure your tie matches your shirt, etc.
2. Walk with confidence. One of the interviewers informed me that this is a crucial aspect in analysing a potential candidate. You have to induce an air of confidence when you present yourself. How? See #3.
3. Practise what to say, be flexible and always keep an open mind to any possibilities. Stage one lasts 3 minutes, so you need to practise to stay on time, or else you will be cut off. Practise makes perfect, remember that ;)
4. Have a loud voice projection, but not to the point of shouting. Just enough that you have people's attention.
5. Know yourself well! Only you know what qualities YOU have that might benefit the company
6. Once you've figured out #5, structure your points into organised sentences and repeat #3. 
7. To fully achieve #6, do relate your strengths to how you can apply it int he company should you be employed. I've seen my friend do this just now, and the interviewers (including the audience) were really impressed and he did get shortlisted for stage 3. 
8. Do background research on the company, see their mission and vision and how it relates to YOUR own aspirations.
9. Shake hands with the interviewer prior introducing yourself. Of course this is just an action of respect and humility :) 
10. Don't be cocky or boast too much about your achievements, strengths, bla bla bla. It's annoying full  stop
11. Always smileeeeeee! Seriously. Even if you're blank and don't know what to say, just smile. It'll be less awkward.

Okay, moving on to Stage TWO!

They gave us materials and 30 minutes to build a paper bridge that has enough height and strength to withstand a toy car moving on it. Now this stage is a catch. No one really cares if you've achieved the target or not. What matters is your teamwork. 

Are you dominant? Did you lead or follow? Neither matters, but your cooperation does. I didn't lead the team but I made sure I contributed ideas to complement others' ideas and made sure no one was left alone to do a job. I helped Kevin tore strips of tape while he stretched it out to make the task faster. I helped Nadia fold papers so Loo Sen doesn't have to wait too long to tape them together and I helped prepare tape (there were a lot oft tape) so we can put them on the bridge faster. 

Things not to do during a group task:

1. Never interrupt people when they want to give ideas. 
2. Never say their ideas suck (regardless of being in an interview or not)
3. Never think you're better than everybody else. No one wants an arrogant person. 

With my teammates.

However, we failed the challenge cause we didn't meet the height requirement (short by 2 cm), but Loo Sen and I managed to get shortlisted for third stage along with another 10 students. I was shocked cause I didn't think I performed that well. I guess being relaxed and calm throughout the process helped a lot.

There was an intermission of 1 hour before the Third Stage, which was one-on-one interview. Each person had 20 minutes to be interviewed. Basically they asked us about our experiences being a leader for any event/projects and what we expected when working with SLB and are we willing to sacrifice working onshore for months without seeing our families and friends (this has been proven to be troubling for women). Have you worked under pressure? What would you do if you were asked to clean the floors of an oil rig when interning?

Basically they just wanted to see your commitment and interest in the company and what YOU can contribute to them. 

It's all about selling yourself and convincing them that you're worth it. 

So that wraps up my SLB Interview Experience. It was really interesting and I learnt so much from it and from the other candidates. 

I hope this post helps in your journey to finding your dream job. But remember, this is just what I experienced, and it differs for different people and companies. Hope it helps in some small way.

Good Luck ;) 

Love For Books

Pretty much captures my love for books. You can't see the titles but they are all published journals, coincidentally in the Chemical Engineering Department. I read all kinds of books, as much as I can.

It's been a hectic month since I started this sem. I've been busy with internship applications and catching up on all of my subjects. It's pretty interesting, I'm psyched about internship. Finally getting to work in the industry.

I hope everything goes smoothly. 

Hope you're having a less chaotic time than me :) 

Santai Petang 2.0

Had a good time just chilling with friends, photographing today's beautiful weather and just enjoying life :) 

A New Semester

Hello September. Hello new semester.

A week has passed since I started my 6th semester of Undergraduate studies here in UTP. It's my last one before I go for my internship Insyallah. Kinda nervous about that. But it'll be exciting for sure. Imagine 3 years studying in a classroom with theoretical knowledge and lab works, finally we're going out into the world to experience what it's really like working as an engineer :D 

Serious stuff aside, I had the pleasure of getting acquainted with the Japanese Summer Programme Exchange Students from Tokyo and Gunma University. UTP has this really cool programme where it sends Malaysian students to Tokyo and vice versa. It was a good night getting to know the Japanese students and reliving memories when I was in Tokyo earlier this year. 

They even cooked for us which was so delicious! I'm such a huge fan of Japanese food but it's so hard to find halal ones in Japan and even Malaysia.

Oh and did I mention I've started working out? Those fat around my stomach has been enough reason to start doing sit ups and other abs-related routines. Anything to burn the fat away! And it'll be a bonus if I can get fit in time for my internship this coming January :D 

If you're a beginner like me, I recommend Abs Pro app for Apple users. It's simple really, you choose your level and duration of exercise. And they guide you step by step in your work out. It's easy!

I for one am getting the hang of it ;)

Taking the Lens Cap Off

I used to be an avid photographer. 

But over the years, the technicality of photography bored me. I began to stop being so obsessed with camera equipments and started photographing moments. I know that's not a good enough excuse to drop an interest in cameras and what nots, but I do try to see the beauty in every picture in a sense of emotion instead of what camera settings it was taken with.

I belong to a multimedia club in UTP. So you can imagine the level of obsession we are with equipment and DSLRs. I used to be that person too. But as I matured and grew up, my hobby in photography evolved in a whole different direction. 

I still love capturing moments more than anything. I love being the person who takes pictures and posts them up on Facebook afterwards for people to smile at and reminisce of the good times. 

I just stopped obsessing with the technicality of it all.

You could say I was dangerously putting myself in the comfort zone, of not trying to learn more or improve my skills in the world of photography. But, I do try to always improve my skills. 

Just not in the way every one else is doing.

I don't care how fancy my camera is (650D is as far as fancy I'll go). I stopped wishing for lenses as my birthday presents a long time ago. What I'd really like is a compact camera, small enough to fit in my backpack so I can take shots of anything anytime, without fussing over the weight and price.

I learnt over the years that even with the most expensive cameras and latest gadgets, if you can't appreciate the pictures you took or portray that sense of beauty in it, it'd all be pointless anyway.

Pictures are there for a reason. They inspire you, if not others, to believe and have hope. Because pictures can be interpreted in so many ways, I believe what matters is the feeling it portrays in people who've seen it. :) 

A World That Can't Stop Talking

See the full comic here.

Sayonara Third Year First Semester!

*wipes away virtual cobwebs*

Hello everyone! 

Alhamdulillah my nerve-wrecking finals ended yesterday, thus explaining my hiatus for the past 3 weeks (as if I have any other reason besides UTP when I can't blog much)

No point blogging during my study week anyways as I was pretty much in this state the whole time:

It was a good study week. For once since I started studying in UTP, my exams started LATER than everyone else and ende EARLIER than everyone else. What can I say except #achievementUnlocked ! Hahah... 10 days of study 'week' (UTP should really revise the term 'week' when it comes to finals) followed by a marathon 4 back-to-back papers.

To give you a hint of how difficult my papers were here are the subject titles:

• Control  Process, Dynamics, Instrumentation and Control
• Kinetics & Reactor Design
• Introduction to Management (ok lah this one not so scary)
• Process Safety & Loss Prevention

Chemical Engineering is a pain in the ass, but Alhamdulillah, all the papers went well despite some difficulties in them. But I've always believed that it's better to stress about your INPUT when studying then of the RESULTS when you can't do anything anymore. And now, there's nothing left but to tawakkal :) 

So my stress period is over and i have a wonderful 18-days holiday starting today.

In the meantime, maybe I should get this t-shirt to prepare for next semester's finals:

And wear them during exams. 

Thinking about it, I have 3 full semesters left in UTP InsyaAllah. Another 2 semesters of internship and I'll be graduating soon. But my pursuit of knowledge doesn't stop there. I've got more plans for the future and I pray Allah grants me longevity of life so I can continue my studies and be an inspiring engineer one day.

So my plans for the holidays?

Currently this:

Empowering Women and Minorities Everywhere.

My apologies for not blogging much. I missed writing! College has taken my time away from this blog for far too long. It's time revamp a bit this dusty ol' blog *wipes away dusts and cobwebs*

With that, I present to you a video I made specially for my Introduction to Management Class:

*tadaaaa*

CHALLENGES FACED BY MINORITY & WOMEN IN THE ORGANISATION

It's a pretty cool topic. When our lecturer first introduced a series of topics for us to choose from for this video project, I scanned the list and immediately saw the word 'WOMEN' in it and told my roommate that we just HAD to take this topic. My bad for not realising it was also about minorities. 

Well, we killed two birds with one stone for that anyways. 

It was a great experience editing and producing this video. We did lots of research, I went and search for lots of Sheryl Sandberg videos and how women can be successful in their careers. Go search her on Youtube! She's my inspiration and pretty much someone I look up to when I always aim to be a high-achiever in whatever I do. 

The process of shooting was fun and we had loads of help from our course mates. They fit into character pretty well. 

Hope you enjoy the video. Off to finish up more workloads before Eid break ends this weekend.

Happy Eif Fitr to my friends and readers! I hope Ramadhan has been a joyful spiritual journey for you, it has been for me, even if it only consists of small things :) 

Take care :D

That Time of Year Again!

It's Ramadhan al-Mubarak again this time of year! 

I can't explain why I'm so excited it's here, I just am. Every Muslim starts the same routine, we wake up for sahoor, then fast from food, drinks and bad words and actions for the whole day, we eat at dusk, we pray and focus all our attention to Allah at night. 

Same routine for me this year, but the excitement and motivation in me are more intense for this year. :D

I've always believed Ramadhan was all about second chances. Allah purposely gave you 30 days to cleanse your soul and try to be a better Muslim, even if it is just for 30 days out of the 365 days in a year. It's beautiful isn't it?

Ramadhan to me, is the kick start to all your actions later, especially after Ramadhan is over. I'm 21 now and I've learnt to appreciate Ramadhan a little bit more than I used to during my teenage years. I've never really seen the purpose of Ramadhan besides from just abstaining yourself from food and drinks. When I read Reclaim Your Heart by Sister Yasmin Mogahed, she mentioned all the beautiful opportunities created specially for the month of Ramdhan. And I felt that I truly had to grab this opportunity. Better late than never :)

Notes from Reclaim Your Heart about fasting:

1. Know why you're fasting: By fasting, every hunger pangs remind us of Allah - By constantly remembering Allah and sacrificing for Allah and sacrificing for Him, we are made more aware of His presence, and in that way we increase our taqwa.

2. Don't make fasting just of hunger and thirst: "Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is in no need of his leaving food and drink" (Al-Bukhari) 

As the Prophet Muhammad warned us: "Many people who fast get nothing from their fast except hunger and thirst, and many people who pray at night get nothing from it except wakefulness." (Darimi)

Fasting is not just about staying away from food, it's striving to become a better person, escape the darkness of our own isolation from God.

Ramadhan is also a chance to find motivation. Since all your lusts are controlled and Shaytan is locked up in hell for the whole month, what better way to at least give a try in doing more good deeds for the sake of Allah? Maybe we can read a few extra pages of the Quran each day than we normally do, perform Terawih prayers (at least once or twice a week if we're busy), give more alms than usual, and learn the gift of sharing food with your friends and relatives. :D 

We may forget at times what Ramadhan is all about, besides we're always so busy with our work or assignments and projects once in a while, but it is a fact that even our faith fluctuates, it goes up and down. it is never constant like the Angels. So keep on finding motivations or ways to get in the spirit of Ramadhan even if you're not up to it. 

Try it, and Insyallah you'll find your way back to the happy journey in Ramadhan :)

Jazakallahu Khayran. 

Beautiful

Felt so inspired to write after reading this. Love all her written works, though she never gives herself enough credit.

I'm down with the flu and fever. And to make matters worse, I've got a test in less than 8 hours and another one coming in less than 24 hours.

I'm loving college life.

But it's been pretty amazingly busy and hectic as of now. The assignments, deadlines, club work I manage, rushing here and there to submit tutorials and lab reports. I love the catastrophe of it all.

And that coming from a self-proclaimed OCD.

But most importantly, I've learnt to adapt. I started in a household of pretty boisterous, assertive and hyper girls. Being the naturally quiet one, I know this would challenge me out of my comfort zone. I knew I just had to try. Try what? I wasn't sure. Try to fit in maybe? Try to get along and create a sisterly bond that was never there in the first place.

After 7 weeks, I must say....

I'm in a place I never thought it was possible for me to reach. I'm here and I'm happy. With beautiful and loving people surrounding me. A place where I can find comfort in the midst of chaos. I love everything about life right now.

And I am grateful for have been blessed in this beautiful way.

:)

Strawberries and Non-Fictions. Life in College

I love Malaysia and all of its diverse culture-based holidays. One, more holidays. Two, more sales! 

Awesome steals during today's shopping session with mom. Almost every store is having a sale!

If there's one thing this week's theme has been, it's strawberries! 

The huge strawberries my roommate brought back from Cameron Highlands. They're so juicy and sweet and sourish! 

Speaking of food, I had the pleasure of tasting this amazing Pakistani restaurant in UTP just beside the CIMB bank. It tastes so good I totally recommend it! :D 

The chicken shaksuka, cheese naan and to-die-for mango lassi!

Overall, It's been a fairly good and hectic week what with helping out with UTP's orientation as facilitator and organizing  my schedules  and such. 

My room's on the fourth floor. I have no excuse of being fat now. My housemates are pretty awesome, they sure love squealing, but the good humorous kind haha. 

So, let's pray for a smooth and endurable semester ahead! 

  

Daily Inspiration: Agreeing to Disagree

I stumbled across this beautiful quote on Facebook today: 

It's true isn't it? The people who disagree with you are more valuable than those who do. Why? Because not only do they point out our flaws and humble ourselves, they also challenge us to gain more knowledge of the matter at hand in order to convince or persuade others in the future.

Imagine you're debating with a friend, and that person has more legit points than you and eventually makes his point. Doesn't that humiliate you in some way, even if they did make you even more knowledgeable in the process? With this humility, we can act on it to become more experienced in our field of interest so that the same mistake won't occur again. 

And that's what I find beautiful about Allah's way in making us realise our mistakes to correct ourselves. Because humans can't do it alone. We need each other to point out our flaws, discreetly or otherwise to become a better person who can lift the status of all Muslims everywhere and improve the Ummah :) 

jazakallah 

Back To College

Only 2 full days left in this home before my 4 months break ends and I would have to go back to UTP slash The Jungle.

As much as I love home, lazing around on my butt all day and playing with my cats (having to deal with my allergies later on), I do miss UTP and the whole hectic schedule of balancing classes and my club duties. There's this sense of satisfaction when you complete your subject's coursework or achieve your club's early-of-the-sem plans. 

But it is scary because if you're not careful, you could easily get lost in all the piles and piles of work. 

But I'll persevere, cause I only have 2 years of college left! Might as well make the most out of it :D

So hello 5th Semester of Chemical Engineering, and let's gear up for another memorable semester ;)