You!

Hi guys, congratulations on finally being able to find this blog (Duh~ I put it on my privated instagram profile)

I have always had a hunch that you will be able to come across this blog sooner or later.

I don't write much here. But I won't make this blog private either, its written for public viewers and my friends anyway.

So, there you go. You can read anything here as long as you:

.....and of course do all the tutorials I gave you! Alright?

Cheers
Farah

Checked!

Here is a little update on my to-do-list I posted sometime in June. A few more being checked. Though they took quite a long time, but I am happy with it.

It does not matter how slow you go, as long as you do not stop. Ok?

1. Buy a myvi (medallion grey)
2. Have a job that I love (Well I switched jobs quite frequently before this - It took awhile for me to land myself a suitable job)
3. Take swimming class
4. Have a gym membership (Err.. tapi ini hangat-hangat tahi ayam)
5. Take up more reading 
6. Getaway to a tropical island - Booked. I. am. excited. (Its Perhentian dow)
7. Invest in a unit trust
8. Euro trip - Spain maybe?
9. and a trip to Vietnam too?
10. Take dancing class (or go get a wii fit maybe?)
11. Learn how to play guitar (Bought myself a guitar 2 years ago - tapi belajar separuh jalan.. ya ya I know memang suka sangat buat kerja separuh jalan)
12. Own a swimming pool (hamboih)
13. Reside in Putrajaya (Oh area idaman. They have got everything!)
14. Take up photography lesson (kelas mahal sangat, so bought myself a book instead 17 hinggit je) 
15. Own a compact DSLR or a very awesome point and shoot camera.. Lumix LX5 ke contohnya hint hint.. hehe (in progress) :P
16. Thinking of owning a cafe gallery later in life (Kalau umur panjang)
17. Buat masters before 30 (in progress)

How to declutter your house.

Almost everyone that knows me (well) knows that I am an organised ‘freak’. Sometimes to a point that I think my habit falls into one of the Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD) categories. Having said that, it doesn’t mean that my house (err rumah mak bapak I mean) is squeaky clean and perfectly organized like those in Casa Impian (hoi jauh sekali!).

In reality, I too, struggle with decluttering.

I am pretty sure everyone else is having the same problem too (unless korang memang suka hidup dalam semak – timbunan baju kotor, surat khabar berselerak etc.). Decluttering is meant to be a routine, not once in a lifetime ritual. We do it over and over again.

Kemas, bersepah, kemas, bersepah, kemas, bersepah – the cycle goes on sampai infinity.

The difference is the interval between ‘bersepah’ and ‘kemas’. The longer the interval, the harder it is to declutter because we allow the clutters to pile up. That is why a house with an active toddler needs to declutter more frequently, or else toys will be the new ‘carpet’.

And when we give up and let the interval to be a lot longer – that is the start of a disaster!

Here are some of the tips that I adopt (and some I pick up from blogs) 

1. Don’t bring clutter in.

Well, untuk mengurangkan semak, kita kenalah mengelak dari membawa apa jenis semak ke dalam rumah. Prevention is better than cure. The goal is to NOT let any clutters get into the house in the first place.

Bila shopping barang-barang tu, kalau boleh filter dulu item-item yang ada possibility untuk menyemakkan rumah. Contohnya:

Beli kasut, tak perlu bawa balik kotak (unless kotak dia cun and memang kita simpan dalam kotak untuk elak debu)

Kotak colgate, pencuci muka, plastik pembalut atau cardboard tu buang siap-siap sebelum masuk rumah. Kalau bawak masuk rumah pun kita buang kan? Lagi better buang kat tong sampah shopping complex terus (especially yang ada recycling bins) Ha ni memang the ultimate freak! Amekaw!

Kalau tak nak nampak freak sangat, sebelum masuk rumah, buang terus dalam tong sampah luar rumah. Senang bukan?  

2. When leaving a room, always take something with you.

Room here translates into any room hokey. Bukan bilik tidur saja. Kita selalunya bawa barang satu hala. Dari dapur ke ruang tamu. Tapi dari ruang tamu ke dapur agak jarang (especially ayahku hehe). Mungkin tugas perempuan kot untuk membawanya semula ke dapur ehe.

Anyway, contoh lain, bila keluar bilik elakkan tangan kosong, angkut sekali baju kotor atau mug. Dan bila nak masuk bilik, bawa masuk baju yang dah siap dilipat susun terus dalam almari.

Jadikan habit. Susah sikit bukan?

Ala tips je pun, bukan wajib ikut ye tak?

3. Check for duplicates, and deal accordingly (donate/ trash/ stop buying more)

Having multiples of certain items in your home (e.g. plates) can be very helpful. Untuk kenduri contohnya. Tapi having duplicates/ multiples of certain things, can lead to clutters.

Paperbags

Stationeries

Hotel toiletries

Koleksi doorgifts 10 tahun lepas

Koleksi majalah Ujang 15 tahun lepas

dan sebagainya

You may not realize that you have duplicates unless you're actively uncluttering. How ironic! Tu yang kadang stokin hitam sampai ada 8 pasang - we keep buying things that we cannot find. Since they are buried under the clutters.

To avoid multiples we can also have an organised storage system. Get a drawer organizer peeps!

Clothes are among the items that can quickly pile up (much quicker for girls). Simply because we keep buying them. What we should do is have an organised wardrobe (macam dalam iklan Zalora.com) and by monthly inspection. This is the time for you to recheck your wardrobe and decide which one stays, which one goes (bagi adik/ charity/ jadi kain lap).

Tak guna simpan baju-baju yang kita takkan pakai - they take up so much space.

Baju yang jarang pakai (special occasion)/ toto/ extra selimuts we can vacuum-sealed storage bags.

I could kill for a wardrobe like this!!  Everything colour-coded. Tapi mimpi la kan.

4. Get a maid

If everything else fails.

Manusia oh manusia.

of my kiddies.

Its been a little over one month since the students started their semester break.

Although I am enjoying the relaxed and free time I have right now, sometimes I do miss those little brats (little lah sangat kan!)

Yesterday I received a text message:

"Salam miss, how are you? Really missed our bio class.. (ok sambung dengan soalan bio)"

Oh adik-adik, I missed you guys too!! Tapi honestly malas nak start teaching lagi. Rindu saja. Kuangkuang.

I missed their laughters and crazy jokes in class. When I teach, I tried to be in their shoes. Who would want a boring and lengthy (Biology some more!) lecture at 2.00 in the afternoon? Hence, I would be a little lenient with them. Sometimes, I dismissed them early hehe.

You know all the bio facts won't be able to get into their heads in the afternoon. They've had classes straight from 8.00am. Hence, I usually tell more stories (sometimes related to bio, sometimes not).

I tell stories about being abroad (They loved it since they are going abroad as well) - Highly requested by them.

How to survive there.

What's the environment like.

I told them that, if you feel like doing A-level is difficult (they whine about the tight schedule, heaps of assignments etc).. think again. Betul-betul nak jadi doktor ke? I also tell stories about my friends who are doing medicine and currently in the HO years. Its hell. I told them all that.

Not to scare them, but to make them realize that life is not going to get any easier. Especially when you are doing medicine. Once you are in your HO, A-level ni korang rasa boleh buat tutup sebelah mata je dik oi!

I treat them as my little doctors.

But I treat them as humans as well.

Sometimes they are tired, 3 topic tests in a week. So I gave them an extension for the submission of lab reports. Nak hantar awal-awal pun buat apa kan? Macam la aku mark awal. Ahaks.

Its fun and warming to see their attentive faces during my lectures.

Their scynchronized laughters once I crack a joke (well a lot of jokes).

Their disgusted faces once I showed them photos of blocked arteries full of fatty deposits, or a yucky bacteria.

OK. Ni cikgu yang gelak over. (I may be included, heh)

Well you see..

Teaching bio is my core business.
But teaching them how to get through life is my goal.

The biology facts are surely going to help them get through A-levels (and Med school).
However, (from experience haha) those facts will be gone not long after they finished exams.


But the advice and experiences I told them will help them get through their lives *hopefully*

Cheers!

Some of them.

driving barefoot - increased mileage?

*Ini bukan kaki saya

In case anyone hasn't noticed (well a lot of people haven't), I drive barefoot. Since when? Since I can remember (well I only started driving frequently a year ago - and oh time driving test JPJ of course la pakai kasut kan).


There have been a number of times where I got told off for this habit. I tried putting on shoes/ sandals while driving, but it only lasted for a few minutes (sometimes seconds?), as when it is time to brake, I automatically slips the shoes off. Sedar-sedar je dah kaki ayam balik. Ek eh? Fail. (*.*).

So, out of genuine curiosity, I tried researching for valid reasons not to drive barefoot. I know I am not the only one who drives barefoot in this universe. My brother does it as well (or mungkin sebab genetic? :o oh itu kena buat research separate lah pulak). After keletang-keletung dah google semua, I am going to present to you some of the findings.  I cannot publish this in a reliable journal, but this nearly-reliable blog will do. 

Antara kelebihan-kelebihan drive berkaki ayam (dari google) adalah:

1. Better grip and control of pedals


Orang yang pro drive berkasut selalunya akan bagi alasan yang drive berkaki ayam daya tujahan tak kuat, as in takda tambahan force dari kaki nak tekan pedal minyak. Kaki, sepertimana bahagian badan yang lain ada tulang and muscles. Any muscles, if you rarely use them aren't very strong. A barefoot person has much greater control over the car pedals because we can feel them better. Shoes or other footwear cut off that essential tactile sensation (haha over tak?). 

Orang lain tak selesa drive kaki ayam, tapi bagi kami, tak selesa drive berkasut. Analogy nya macam pegang stereng pakai glove, tak selesa kan? (bagi aku la).

2. Is NOT slippery (as opposed to peoples claim)

Kedua, licin? Oh, tak licin langsung. Tak pernah pulak la kaki tergelincir dari pedals. But I am sure ada jenis-jenis kasut yang agak licin, seperti tapak kasut Vincci yang keras dan takda bunga tu ha. Kalau kaki basah memanglah licin, tapi apa bezanya dengan kasut basah? At least your feet dries up quickly. Tapi kalau jenis yang lumur losyen kat tapak kaki tu memanglah licin nyah.

3. Increased mileage (?) hoho

This is news to me too. Tapi tak tau la kesahihannya kan. Quoted from somebody. 

"I can tell you from experience that driving barefoot gives the best feedback from pedals to foot that anyone can achieve. Wearing shoes, I only feel the inside of my shoe. When barefoot, I'm able to use the thousands of nerve endings and dozens of bones, joints and soft tissues in the foot and ankle to add or remove the slightest degree of acceleration or braking that is necessary. With shoes on, much of this sensation and movement is limited or eliminated, and then I must use only larger groups of bones, joints and muscles to make adjustments. Essentially, if you can feel the pedals better and exert only the exact pressure necessary, you will use only the gas you need and save fuel over time.Think of it as kind of very intelligent cruise control."

Intelligent cruise control. Fuyyoh! This particular person has done his own sweet experiment (I doubt the reliability and validity though). You can read it here.

4. Added reflexology


Self-explanatory. Especially untuk pedal bergerigi.

Drawbacks of driving barefoot


1. Hot pedals

Ini kalau parking tempat panas lama, ui mak aih panas gile lah pedals dia. Boleh melecur tapak kaki, rasa cam bertungku pun ada. Pakai kasut selamat sikit.

2. Muddy pedals (if somebody else drove your car beforehand)

I usually keep my pedals clean because of the nature of my driving. Tapi kalau orang lain bawak and kasut berlumpur, memang terasa la pasir-pasirnya. Kalau diorang pijak tahi kucing macam mana oi? (=.=)

3. No fancy shoes


Kalau pakai kasut fancy-fancy or bertali lilit-lilit bagai, payah la pulak asyik nak kena bukak kasut. So I usually end up with slip on shoes ataupun sandal bodo je. Boo!

4. Lenguh if long distance

Well, tipu la kalau tak lenguh kan. Tak tau long term medical effect nya apa. Silap-silap boleh dapat metatarsalgia. Eh? Apa aku merapu ni. 

Aik apesal sama banyak keburukan dan kebaikan ni? Dang. Does not justify anything. Anyway, I'll try to slip on shoes at times, but seriously this habit is really difficult to break. Susah oh! Tapi better la dari tekan break pakai kaki kiri kan? Hehe (you know who you are) :p

goaaal(s)!

Hellow Mellow! (Oh lame nya)

Pergh sekarang tengah musim demam EURO2012 nyah. All of a sudden dinding fesbuk dipenuhi dengan nama negara-negara Eropah. Terasa bahangnya although I myself am not a big fan of football (not at all).

Last night before I went to bed, a lot of things came out of my head. Things that I wanted to do. Tak boleh jadi ni, I thought.. I had to list them down.

Here are the list of the things that I wanted or goals (Yay to the ones that are checked!)

1. Buy a myvi (medallion grey)
2. Have a job that I love (Well I switched jobs quite frequently before this - It took awhile for me to land myself a suitable job)
3. Take swimming class
4. Have a gym membership (Err.. tapi ini hangat-hangat tahi ayam)
5. Take up more reading 
6. Getaway to a tropical island - Booked. I. am. excited. (Its Perhentian dow)
7. Invest in a unit trust
8. Euro trip - Spain maybe?
9. and a trip to Vietnam too?
10. Take dancing class (or go get a wii fit maybe?)
11. Learn how to play guitar (Bought myself a guitar 2 years ago - tapi belajar separuh jalan.. ya ya I know memang suka sangat buat kerja separuh jalan)
12. Own a swimming pool (hamboih)
13. Reside in Putrajaya (Oh area idaman. They have got everything!)
14. Take up photography lesson (kelas mahal sangat, so bought myself a book instead 17 hinggit je) 
15. Own a compact DSLR or a very awesome point and shoot camera.. Lumix LX5 ke contohnya hint hint.. hehe
16. Thinking of owning a cafe gallery later in life (Kalau umur panjang)
17. Buat masters before 30

*Drools over Perhentian. Tak sabar yop!