Start Journaling!

Do you believe in the power of manifestation?

How about the benefits of mental resets?

I’m aware that we’re all distinctive human beings who are unique in our own ways.  When it comes to life goals and aspirations, some of us might want similar things, while some prefer to mix it up here and there.

That’s the beauty of it!

Life’s what YOU make it.  No matter what the generalised society standards are, don’t forget to prioritise what’s important to YOU.

Now that we’re getting more comfortable to become who we want and achieve what we desire, how do we attract the right vibes to get ourselves to that pinnacle of success or happiness?

Let me tell you the secret - it’s all up to what your brain decides.  Our minds are powerful.  What we think about many times will most likely come true with the right resources and circumstances.

Because of this, I highly recommend each of you to start journaling.  Yes, journaling.

I had always been very bad at journaling.  I would buy many different types of notebooks and diaries, but only used a few pages before forgetting they existed.  Possibly contributed by my ADHD-ish traits, I was struggling with being consistent at writing down my thoughts.

Quite recently, I figured out why.  It was because I mistakenly thought that journaling should strictly be done in one style of “dear diary” activity.  Boy, was I wrong.

There are actually different styles of journaling and all of them can make an impact to the person doing it regularly.

Below are some journaling styles I would like to mention:

1) Manifestation Style

This style emphasises on what we want to achieve for the day, week, month, or even year.

It allows us to declare the things we want to happen and diminish any doubts we might have.

I use this style now as my daily morning “Today I will” journal.

2) Gratitude Style

This style lets us list down things we are thankful for and helps us count our blessings.

It simply recognises positive experiences as more impactful than negative ones.

I also use this style as my weekly “Best blessing” routine.

3) Story-Telling Style

This style gives us a chance to narrate what has been happening to us and what we think will happen next.

It serves as a diary that documents our memorable moments in writing and sometimes in pictures too.

4) Expressive Style

This style allows us to rant about our day or week in a therapeutic manner.

It provides freedom to say (write) what we want about a situation or incident or idea without being judged.

5) Artsy Style

This style lets us get creative and artistic with our way to portray a topic, occasion, or even emotion.

It is also known as junk journaling where we can use stickers, washi tapes, magazine cuts, hand-drawing, or literally any materials.

6) Planner Style

This style may be more attractive to people who prefer to be organised and in control.  It helps us track our schedule and activities including appointments, exercises, water intake, money flow, etc.

I practise a little bit of this style too by having simple Appointments for the Week and Money Tracker sections in my journal.

What other journaling styles do you know of?

And which one is your favourite style?

I hope you find the one that suits you.

Happy journaling!

The 30-After-30-Before Rule

For the past few months, I started this new habit I call 30-After-30-Before.  I learned this after listening to a talk during World Mental Health week.

Basically, I dedicate 30 minutes after I wake up in the morning and 30 minutes before I go to bed at night for mandatory me-time.  On busy working days or on free weekends, I stick to this.

The suitable length of time may vary from one person to another, but the bare minimum should be 10 minutes per session.

For the first few weeks of doing this, it felt a little bit out of place for me because my anxiety wouldn’t let me fully relax and be in the moment.  I kept doing it anyway because I’ve learned that healthy habits are developed by repetitively doing something positive even if some level of gentle forcing may be required.

During the first 30 minutes after I wake up, I usually make myself a cup of coffee and drink it while playing a game on my Nintendo Switch or phone.  Before I go to bed, I normally scroll social media platforms (TikTok, IG) to see random but sometimes educational contents, or watch an episode of a series on Netflix or Disney Plus.

Through this habit also, I’ve become more comfortable in setting reasonable boundaries both at work and in my personal life.  I still hustle and deliver my best daily, but I also remember to take a step back and breathe.

That’s the goal!

Millionaire by Menabung

How have you been this year?

We’re about to say goodbye to 2022 in less than 2 months!

For me, this year has been quite eventful and life-changing.

Overall, it has been a good year and I’m getting the feeling that this is another beginning of something wonderful in my personal life.

Today, I would like to share about a concept I’ve been thrilled to do when it comes to personal financial management.

I call it ‘Millionaire by Menabung’.

For non-Malay language speakers, ‘menabung’ refers to the act of saving up money into a piggy bank.  These days, it has evolved to more than that with the advancement of our financial system and investment options.

Let’s face it - the economy and cost of living have made it increasingly challenging for most of us to consistently save up and become financially stable.

I’m lucky enough to be able to live comfortably and enjoy occasional indulgences every now and then.  However, I’m still a bit worried about my personal wealth in case of a major economic downturn in the future.

Because of this, I’ve made it my personal goal to build up my wealth and funds bit by bit.

My mission is simple - I want to be able to survive on my own if my regular source of income gets cut off for whatever reason.  Once my emergency fund is sufficient to last for months, the subsequent surplus is then channeled to non-mandatory spendings such as travels, gadgets, self-care indulgences, and others.

I have more than one active bank accounts.

Instead of closing the older accounts, I’ve segregated each of my existing bank accounts into specific functions:-

Account 1 - Loose Fund Account (where my monthly salary is pumped into)

Account 2 - Intermediary Account (where I put aside money for monthly commitments such as bills, groceries, investments, and regular spending)

Account 3 - Safekeeping Account (where I keep money for emergency)

Account 4 - Miscellaneous Account (where I allocate specific amount of money for personal insurance auto-debit)

I use an app called Loot to keep track of how much I have saved and how much my target amounts are for certain items.

To help me with my longer term saving and investment, I make use of a wealth management platform called StashAway, licensed by the Securities Commission Malaysia (eCMSL/A0352/2018).

I have a long way to go and I need to be disciplined enough to consistently mind my savings and spendings.

This little initiative of mine is my own way to reach personal financial freedom.

Whatever your circumstances are, I hope you find your little way towards financial wellbeing.

My Fidget Spinners

Have you ever wondered what the once famous fidget spinners are originally for? 🪀🪁🚂

They are tools used to relieve anxiety or calm the nerves.

Although anyone can get it for fun, it is especially useful for those with anxiety, attention deficit, or autism.

In my personal experience, it helps to have a little something I can hold on to and play around with while executing a task such as talking on the phone, listening to someone, presenting a case, and so on.  I moderately struggle with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and anxiety. There are times when I need aid to remain calm and focused.  This is because I would naturally get fidgety when focusing on a task and my hands and feet would become hyperactive.

I do not own an actual fidget spinner, but I have its alternatives — my McDonald’s Happy Meal toys! 🧸 

Every now and then, I would order a Happy Meal and collect these cutesy and colourful toys.  I keep some of them in my bag, in my car, on my desk, and near my work area.  When I need something to hold on to, I would spin, toggle, disassemble, and reassemble them.

Your thoughts?

My Daytime Skincare Routine

Hey there!

Ever since I became a beauty consultant with Mary Kay Malaysia, I’ve realised how vital it is to be consistent in practising our skincare routine.

After learning the correct methods and improving my product knowledge, I find it fun now.

Below are the skincare items that I use for my daytime skincare routine:

- Cleanser with Skinvi brushing device

- Lip scrub

- Essence water

- Intensive serum with Skinvi massager

- Eye cream

- Day cream with SPF30

- Sunscreen with SPF50

Occasionally, I will add the following:

- Charcoal mask

- Eye patch

- Eye gel

- Lip balm

How about you?

Lockdown-Friendly Personal Styling

Hi lovely people!

I’m excited to share with you about a personalised and convenient way to upgrade your wardrobe for casual or formal occasions.

I used to be quite a shopaholic, so I know how much time, effort, and money we usually use up when we go on a shopping spree.  At the end of the day, it always felt satisfying!

Now I don’t shop much anymore because of other commitments I need to prioritise, which is why I feel like it was heaven-sent when I came across Ellegra, a personal styling and shopping service offered in Peninsular Malaysia.

With Ellegra, customers are asked to answer a style quiz on Ellegra website noting several information about their wardrobe preferences, must-haves, dislikes, wishlists, budget range, and general body measurements.  After the quiz has been completed, customers are required to fill up their delivery and payment details (Only a small styling fee to be paid at this point), then wait for a designated stylist to pick five clothing items based on the feedback from the style quiz.

Once the stylist has gathered the clothing items and prepared a sheet containing ideas on what to match the items with, the items will be packed and delivered to the customer’s address.  After the delivery, the customer can try out every item and decide to keep or return some or all of them.  A prepaid return label is enclosed in the delivered package to make it easier for the customer to pack and drop off the returned items at the nearest collection point (CollectCo or NinjaVan).  

Within three days, the customer should log in on the website to do checkout by specifying which item to keep (and pay for) and which to return.  Comments can also be added so that the stylist knows why the customer likes or dislikes a particular item.  If the customer decides to keep all five items, a discount of 20% off the Style Box’s value is applicable.  

(P/S - My first Style Box is valued at RM 431.90 in total, but after the discount and styling fee deduction, I would only need to pay RM 315.52 for five new clothes from five different stores.)

Customers have the option to set scheduled Style Box delivery or log in the website the next time they want to shop for more clothes.

This service is currently available in Peninsular Malaysia only, so I am a bit sad that my homies in East Malaysia aren’t able to enjoy this just yet.  Cross our fingers so that they expand their business to the whole of Malaysia sooner or later.  Ellegra is planning to extend this service to male customers as well, so look out for that.

To those interested to try this service, be my guest and get 50% off your styling fee (worth RM 50) for your first Style Box.⠀

Click on www.ellegra.com.my?refer=643116574⠀

Let’s dress for success!

Paying It Forward

Hi everyone!

How are you today?

I hope you have been getting some rest to recharge for a new week.

If you don’t mind, I would like to share a little bit about paying it forward.

To put it in its simplest form, paying it forward refers to doing a good deed to someone for a kindness that someone else has done (or will do) to you.  It’s about giving back to the community or those in need.

After I was hired for my current permanent job in 2014, I made it my personal goal to pay it forward in a manner close to my heart.

I have always been passionate about defending children’s rights, especially their rights in receiving education in addition to basic daily necessities.  Children are our future and are worth the investment of our time, energy, and money.  And so, I found out about child sponsorship through  World Vision Malaysia.

Contributions through World Vision are pooled in a shared fund to be used in long-term development programmes targeted towards a specific community’s well-being and livelihood.  

The development programmes focus on the following:

- Clean water and sanitation 

- Healthcare

- Food and agriculture 

- Education 

- Economic development 

My monthly contributions to World Vision Malaysia are currently used for the below projects:

- Education fund

- Child sponsor (John Rhey, Philippines)

- Child sponsor (Thi Luu, Vietnam)

- Child sponsor (Tanos Abbas, Lebanon)

As a child sponsor, I receive annual reports on how my children and their community are doing.  I also receive letters and cards (and beautiful drawings!) from my children.

Hearing about how my children are progressing and what they aspire to become gives me pure joy and confidence that we are getting ready for the future no matter where we are.

In addition to child sponsorship through World Vision, I am also a supporter of other non-profit organisations such as UNICEF, WWF, NKF, and SPCA.

How about you?

How do you prefer to pay it forward? 💜