Seeing things from different viewpoints

Motivational Monday: Seeing things from different viewpoints

As I am trying to start back my wonderful routines of writing motivational entries every Monday, I found Tony Buzan’s Mind Map book that is buried underneath the rest of my books. I totally forgot I have this book! I love Tony Buzan and I have always been fascinated by his ‘mind map’ teaching since I was very young.

I came across this advice in this book – ‘seeing things from different viewpoints‘.

In his books, he gave case studies of how Ted Hughes – The English Poet Laureate, Jodie Foster – actress, Maria Montessori -education, Martin Luther King and Alexander the Great – leaders; all of them applied the technique of ‘seeing things from different viewpoints’ in their life and achieved greatness.

By doing this, we will free ourself from one-track thinking. We will open our life to more opportunities, new kind of  solutions, and better life experiences. We will be more emphatic and more understanding of other people and their situation. We will also be able take more actions and to act more courageously.

I am grateful that I found this book and this great advice, when I needed it the most. Alhamdulillah.

To those who didn’t know Tony Buzan, this is a wonderful mind-map showing who he is! I found this mind map really cool

Things will be ok

- so I said to myself. For what else can one do when one’s destiny is totally in the hand of the others.

But I was brought up with a belief system that whatever happened to us, are the best thing that is supposed to happen to us. Be it good, be it bad, be it painful. There are always reasons or ‘hikmah’ that is hidden in every occurences.

With that, I am going to lift my chin up. I am going to dust myself off. I am going to wait.

I was told that there’s something very beautiful in waiting. And I need to learn how to do this.

That’s why people don’t do it – it’s hard

I mentioned in this recent entry the challenge of finding yourself. And being true to it.

I am now facing yet another kind of those challenge. And that’s why I cried yesterday. It’s hard.

Ok I know my probem were probably nothing compared to people who don’t have enough money to buy food, or doesn’t have a home, or abused. And sometimes because I think my problems were so insignificant compared to other people’s challenges – that’s why I don’t like to talk about it. It made me feel kinda ashamed of myself.

But I guess, I am only human. And this is my personal blog. If I don’t write about the downs in my life here, where else could I write about it.

Where should I start?

Do you remember Will? Of Good Will Hunting? What I am facing now is in someway, pretty similar to what that character experienced. You know, how people decided just because you are gifted in some sense – they think we should ‘use’ our gift in a certain way.

I am tired of being asked to do this and that – just because I can. I am tired of people thinking just because I am smart, I came from top UK university, just because of my background – I need to do this and that with my life. I have done all that before. I have done enough. And it does not make me happy.

I was always so stressed. I was always so unhealthy. I was always so unhappy. And I don’t want to go back to being that miserable, unhealthy and unhappy me.

I am happy now. I have my own goal. I have my own life. I have my own thing that I want to do.

I know it’s useless saying these things to those people. They don’t understand. We live in a different world. I just have to deal with it the best way that I can.

I am just so disappointed because I think I finally got my break. I finally am able to take the next step. I really do need this next step. I really do. I want it bad. I prayed, and worked, and have poured all of myself into this – and when this happened – it’s. just. so. painful.

Please God give me strength to endure this yet another challenge. I know it happened to me because I am strong enough to face it – so please do give me strength, do give me wisdom, do give me ways on how can I deal with this. Ameen.

Now I cried for MJ

Ok, so I finally able to watch the Michael Jackson interview with Oprah on Youtube. And I cried my eyes out.

*sob sob

I’m just a big crybaby today.

But I was surprised at how much I can relate to what he said and what he experienced. Perhaps not totally. But I did understand him. Such a shame that only happens when he was gone.

*silent

He is indeed a great artist.

And I hope he did find peace in the end. I really do.

Life gets in the way

Apologies lovely people. Who keep coming and reading (but not commenting ), I am now in the middle of thisandthat. Argh. There’s just too many things going on I don’t even know where to start.

Basically, my life gets in the way of my blogging. When my life finally settles down a bit. I promise you, I will be back. Better than ever.

Short update:

1. I am sad MJ died.

2. I started my healthy living regime yesterday.

3. And ruined it today.

4. I cried today (not because of MJ died, because of something else)

While I cried in real life, I am still trying to keep my ’stiff-upper-lip’ness in my blog. But I would be really grateful if you can do this one thing for me. Please pray/send good thought to me. I am having a rather difficult time in my life at the moment and your prayers/good thought will really help me.

Thank you darlings. I will do the same to you too.

Red and Yellow Butterfly

Trendy Thursday: Red and Yellow Butterfly

Red and Yellow Butterfly by Elwarda featuring Monsoon

I have been seeing great stylings of jacket, cardigan and all sorts of outer wearing with maxi dress lately. I have this in my drafts for quite some time. I would like it if the jacket is an open one to show the beautiful yellow belt on the maxi. But I like the colour of this jacket so, yeah as usual – colour won!

Oh before you go,  see how I modestified Beyonce’s Red Carpet look  here!

No angst, no inspiration?

I have a lot of things I want to write. You know, sometimes I saw these posts about things that struck a chord in my heart and I want to write something about it. But somehow, I didn’t. Because I have lost that rawness. That pain. That anger. And somehow when I wrote about it – it turns out very bland. Me no likey.

What happened then? I wrote about what I read, and what I learnt, and what I think . And because what I read, what I learnt, what I think is mostly along the lines of motivational/self-help/entrepreneurship/business stuff – that’s what I wrote about.

I am slowly losing the emotional me and becoming this logical rationalising with a hint of self-help guru tendency me.

I kinda like where I am going, you know. Being this logical rationalising person is more productive for sure. I am also much calmer now. Which is good for the heart, and the skin too. I haven’t had any skin infection/allergies for so long. Which is great for a person who used to flare up like crazy when in contact with even one speck of dust.

But like I mention, I am losing my ‘flava’.

Ok here’s a a few topics that I wanted to write about but somehow didn’t manage to because well, I couldn’t find my ‘flava’.  (what is this?)

1. The time I was denied job after being offered a position because I was wearing a hijab. Twice that happened to me. In Malaysia. The first time it happened it threw me into such financial chaos as I have no means of income. At all. The second time it happened, I was like. What? Not again..

It’s a long story, really. I just need to summon the past angst to make it more colourful.

2. My thought on homosexuality. And gender identity disorder. Oh such angst I had about it. Now it was like..’ehh..’

3.  Why we should not waste water and how hard ‘Indah Water’ people worked to make our water clean.

4.  My guilt that Mika my pet cat has infection. Am I a bad mummy..:(

5. My thought of the overly-patriarchal Islamic authority in Malaysia. Oohh now this is a huuuge one.

6. Why I keep putting on back the weight that I lose? Yeah. I am a chubby penguin again.

7. My thought about Islamic art and art in Islam. (I don’t know whether that is the same or not)

8. The challenge of finding oneself. And staying true to it.

9. Also, did anybody else think Justin Long is attractive? He’s quite short for my liking. Another minus – he is  clean shaven. But his voice is just so hard to resist!

Ok so not all my thoughts or stories are serious or can be filled with angst. But you get what I mean right?

I am Funny (not)

I love this woman. To death.

Oh those who doesn’t know her, she’s Sophie Kinsella.

I am re-reading The Undomestic Goddess and was reminded of what a brilliant writer and storyteller she is. And I know this is stating the obvious – but she is SO FUNNY.

If there’s one thing I am really not, is Funny. In fact, both of me and Big Z is one of the most non-funny couple with the lowest taste in all things funny. Sometimes, both of us laughed at our own jokes, not because it’s funny – but because it’s so BAD. But like Phoebe said to Monica and Chandler in FRIENDS – at least we made each other laugh.

My siblings have had years of experience listening to my ‘jokes’ and pretending to laugh. Half-heartedly. Again, most of the time they were laughing at my feeble attempts at being funny.

And sometimes, when one of my many my attempts succeed, and one poor soul who’s taste in jokes is as mild as me complimented me by saying ‘You are so funny’, it feels like the best compliment ever. It’s like a singing to my ear. It’s so beautiful and my spirit soared so high.

But I don’t get that a lot.

But, I laughed at almost anything. True story. My ‘mama’ and ‘ayoh’ loves telling me the story of how when I was a baby, to keep me occupied, they will hang a red dress (my own baby dress) above my crib and I will laughed at it for hours. Sometimes they felt so sorry for me they removed it for awhile so that I can have a breather. But yeah, I will always laughed.  At my own red coloured baby dress. I think my low standard of funny started in the crib.

Oh well, you can see more of my ‘funny’ in my Kooky Kolumn.

My ‘personal’ dilemma

It’s funny that I have a ‘personal’ blog, but I have run out ‘personal’ things to share here.

It’s not like I do not have anything going on in my personal life. I just don’t know how to write about them anymore.

I am much more able or comfortable writing about ideas, or what I read, or what I learnt rather than well, about me.

Maybe I have changed. So pardon me if all you ever read about me here are hints and clues and endless directionless entry that nobody understands – as truly, I do want to write more ehem, ‘personal’ stuff. I just well, maybe forgotten how to do that. And just having only realised that some of my old friends (still) do keep in touch with my progress through  this blog – maybe I should give them a bit more ‘meat’. eheh.

Ah well, let’s see how it goes

Cara loves Crochet

Trendy Thursday: Cara loves Crochet

Cara loves Crochet by Elwarda featuring Dorothy Perkins

Crochet adds a great texture to your wardrobe. Just make sure that you go for a rather fresh colour and style to avoid looking like a sick grandmother!

As usual, clever accessorising also will also help to bring something fun and interesting in this crochet look. Have fun!