The secrets of people who never get sick - A review

So I just finished reading this book.

Lemme just share the 25 secrets (not really secrets, peeps!)

Let's first talk about number 5, if you have been reading my blog for quite some times, you'd know that I've been having issues with Khaira's cough a while ago. Among the advises that I received to strengthen her lung is to have a cold shower every morning. To begin with, she started to use hot shower the moment she went to Kindy and when the coughing drama started.

Number 6 on detoxification, I've always had  a bad eczema growing up. I have no fingerprints, so I have special letter from JPN, but the hassle is unbelievable. Alhamdulillah, I'm used to it now. My eczema is almost gone since I detoxify myself and started to eat clean. Fasting is a way to detox as well. I did mine using juices back then. And still doing it every now and then.

Number 9, garlic with olive oil massage all over K's chest and feet helped eased up her cough as well.

Number 15, napping. Rasulullah's sunnah, peeps! My favourite!

And number 24, Vitamin C, K is on supplement at the moment until she is really stable. I used Transfer Factor and Champs.

She is on Goat's milk everyday now, and I found that she has been at her healthiest since she started Kindy, Alhamdulillah.

Overall, I am happy with this book. I rate it 3.5 over 5.

The unexpected expected question

"My last question, as usual, why would you want to be a Chartered Engineer?"

Slap, on the face.

That was how I felt.

I stunned for a good 30 seconds, I guess.

I should have anticipated that question.

You know how sleepless my nights were preparing for the interview? You know how many articles I read? How many people I have asked about the interview? How long my list of anticipated questions and answers were? You just wouldn't believe the extend I went through for this one.

An hour interview prior to the question was smooth sailing with Allah's will, but this.

I stunned and I could feel my hands shaking. So, I hid them under the table.

"I was ignorant when I first started joining in IET," I could not believe that just came out of my mouth.

WHAT WAS I THINKING? Telling stories of my life to the panels??? Come on!

And I spent a good 3 minutes talking about how much I have learned since I became an IET member and I am sure there are lots more I could learn if I was given an opportunity to be a Chartered Engineer.

Here I am, for a PROFESSIONAL interview and I talk about "learning"?

Continuous learning and networking were my main points. What was I thinking???

"I could have answered it better," almost cried of frustration when I called hubs after the interview.

Frustrated of myself. So much.

"I should have anticipated that question. What was I thinking?" screamed. At the top of my lung. And I shut myself from everyone that day.

"Must be a reason why Allah SWT did not open your heart to anticipate that question, Sayang," Hubs calmed me down. "Were you honest when you answered the question just now?" He asked.

"Yes." That was my honest intention as of why I opt to get a Chartered Engineer.

"Your sincerity will get you through. Assuming you anticipated the question already, would you answer it the way you answered it just now?" He asked.

"No!"

I calmed down a bit.

And Love was right.

My sincerity did get me through.

And as usual, everything always happens for a reason.

Alhamdulillah, waiting for my registration number from the Engineering Council, and you'll be looking at a new CEng, yay!

Timing is so nice where my uni needs a professional engineer to stabilize the PE-student ratio for our EAC accreditation. It feels good to give back ♥

Weaning off Lil Aisha!

I finally weaned off Lil Aisha at 2y 2m.

But the method I used is completely different with K. Read how I weaned off K here.

I had it easier with Khaira. But with Aisha, I've somehow forgotten to give her heads up earlier. Since my milk production was Alhamdulillah quite plenty with Aisha, I didn't really mind her being clingy with my milk all the time.

With Aisha, she didn't mind the taste of salt at all! *cries* (yup, i put salt there!)

Slow talk worked slowly with her, too slow for me, I needed to weaned her off pronto.

So, this tough mom put coffee for this tough baby and she hated the brown colour that the coffee was making and within 2 days, stopped completely. Alhamdulillah.

"Did you miss her clinging on to you?" Love asked.

Nope. Not at all. Without hesitant.

I mean, I cherished that two years, but not gonna miss it, nope.

My big girl is too cool for susu ibu already ♥

Love's Master Convo Finalllyyyyyyyy!!!~

I remember Love started doing his Master back when I was pregnant with K. K is five now.

Guess what?

He finally graduateddddddd!!!! Alhamdulillah.

People said he had it easy for thesis because he has me to push him, tak jalan ok, he did not do anything for two years.. stuck at thesis. Tak dengar cakap this one, so.. noo, I hope he's not considering to do his PhD, otherwise the headache is on me ;p

To be fair, he has a hectic schedule at work. Nonetheless, he did awesomely well for coursework.

Jokes aside, congratulations Sayang!! I'm proud of you!

Remember how he proudly wore T-Shirt on my PhD and Master convocation years ago..

Look what I surprised him withhhhhh... Tadaaa

It says "Attending my Abi's Master Convo"

Much love, everyoneee!!!~

Baby girl turns 5!

Khaira's obsession to horses and ponies are getting way out of hand, hence the theme this year is obviously, "My Little Pony".

I ordered the cake from #shaeryscake and Shaery suggested me to use the actual figurines so K could use them as toys afterwards. Brilliant!

School has been tough these couple of months for her. Just about she got comfortable with her new teacher, Teacher Maria, she changed to another teacher, Teacher Omi, a guy. She is not comfortable with guys, so just imagine. On top of that, some of the teachers like to turn off the lights to silent the kids after class while waiting for the transport. Drama sekejap, but I must praise Genius Aulad they took my complaints seriously. Unlike the other kindy K used to go.

Anyhow, Happy Birthday my Princess!! Toddler years have been challenging as it is when K's immune system is developing, but Alhamdulillah, only with His will, it is all manageable and she got better and better as her immune system becomes stronger and stronger.

Be healthy baby girl so that you could do more to contribute to Islam. I love you to the moon and back!

Another year wiser

So I turned 31 a day before Inferno's first show in Malaysia.

Guess what I did?

Took a leave the next day and catch the very first show of Inferno, proud Dan Brown's fan here!

Date with handsome!

That morning of my birthday, Love surprised me with one huge bouquet of white roses on my driver's seat, preserved flowers that will not die. And so far it is still as fresh as when I received them!

My birthday, as usual was so fun!

Except that two days after my birthday, I had to leave the girls and Love for a three day team building at Janda Baik, and arrived home on K's birthday eve.

So sad to leave the girls, but the three days finally made me able to wean off little Aisha, one more wishlist to strike for 2016, woot! Alhamdulillah.

Thank you Allah, for everything, seriously everything for 2016. My biggest challenge is that I've lost my Grandmother, but I know that she is in the BEST hand.

The inverted U curve: David and Goliath - Malcolm Gladwell

As a lecturer, I agree with the inverted u curve theory.

Many times we thought that the academic achievements of students get better with the lesser number of students in class.

Well, actually most of the time, it works this way:

I agree that there is an ideal number of how many students should be in a class, varying from one subject to the other.

I once taught just one student for postgraduate class, I have no motivation to come to the class to teach.

For me, 30 to 45 pax is the best crowd for undergraduate and 15 to 20 is just nice for postgraduate students. Like how Gladwell put it, "enough bodies in the room that no one person needs to feel vulnerable but everyone can feel important".

 Apparently, the inverted U curve does not happen only in the size of a class, but also in almost everything that we have seen in our life, including parenting.

For poor parents, it is always hard to tell the kids "No, we can't afford that" as well as it is hard for rich parents to say, "No, we won't be buying that".

"No, we won't be buying that" requires you to know how to articulate the kids and how to make them plausible to your kids.

Then, comes the Big Fish in a Little Pond Theory.

People have always wondered how I suddenly shine like this for both my Master and PhD to where I am now.

Truth is, I have always been slightly above average. I was an advanced reader by the age of 4, I was the best student in my primary school, I always got 100% for my Maths, but then I went to one of the best high schools in Malaysia, where everybody got 100% in Maths as well, so I'm just as ordinary as everyone else in the school. I am the small fish in a big pond back then.

But since not so many people my age, my school doing Master and PhD, suddenly I shine. They thought having PhD in Engineering before I reach 28 makes me a genius.

What they do not know is that my class monitor got his PhD by 27, in Engineering as well.

Here, I am a big fish in a little pond, so I shine.

And do you know that the happiest country have the highest suicide rate? It is not that these people are totally unhappy, but looking at others in their country that are happy all the time make them more miserable.

Also do you know that in CRT test, the students got better answers for difficult questions once they made the questions harder to read (small and terrible fonts) as it requires you to push your brain to use more resources to answer them.

And that what makes autism kids become genius sometimes, as they push their brain to use more; compensation learning they called.

So many more interesting facts, guys.. I rate this 4.5 over 5.

It is easy for me to agree with this concept as it is inline with what Islam taught us, to be moderate.

Too much of something is not enough,
But something coming over me to make me wonder,
Too much of nothing is just as tough,
I need to know the way to feel to keep me satisfied.
--Too Much, Spice Girls, ones I've held onto back when I was a rebellious teenager