May Favorites // 2016

May 2016 FAVORITES

• I am obsess with hitting 10,000 steps a day with fitbit alta. I am not sure if this is good or bad for me. At least this got me to move more.

• I am loving 21 day fix extreme this month. So much that I decided to continue to Round 2 in June. I am don't know how I am going to fit this workout into my Ramadan schedule but I am sure going to try.

• I am rereading Getting Things Done by David Allen. I just can't get enough of this book. Every time I read, I learn something new.

• I love the new cover for Erin Condren notebook this month. I can't help but order one for myself and my daughter. 

• Apps I am obsessing this month is A Colory Story app , Phonto and Keynote app. I am currently creating a few flash cards for my son using Phonto and Keynote. It's so easy and I do them anytime, anywhere. 
• I setup my digital planner on my ipad and I have been using this planner more and more this month
• My favorite book of this month is The Guilty by David Baldacci.  I haven't read much book this month. Hopefully things will pick up in June.
• I am obsess with iPad Pro 9.7"  and the Apple Pencil. I have been using these two devices a lot lately.

I hope you had an amazing May.  No matter how hard life gets, try to stay positive and look for things to be grateful for.

"Be Creative, Show up and Focus on what's important"

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ramadan Lists // 2016 (1437H)

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Ramadan is only one week away and I am so excited to meet Ramadan again. I pray to Allah that I am able to meet the month of Ramadan and healthy enough to perform my "ibadah" as intended. 

As a list maker what better way to celebrate this holy month by making a lists. My word for this year is FOCUS and lists can help me focus. I don't want the month of Ramadan passes me by without doing anything about it. Everybody knows that 29 days can go by pretty fast. If we don't plan and capture the memories we are going to miss out on a lot of beautiful things around us.

HERE ARE MY LISTS FOR RAMADAN

1. Eat dates during sahur and iftar
2. Recite Quran every chance I get - 5 times a day after solah is a must
3. Listen to Quran recital during that long drive to work
4. Organize and tagging digital photos. Keep the best ones and delete the rest. I need to clear our some space to make room for daily ramadan photos and for Eid
5. Read a new book
6. Clean out my closet to make room for new outfits
7. I decided to continue taking a photo a day during Ramadan. I just want to capture everything that I can about this special month
8. Setup a simple workflow to capture photo and document them daily. I am going to use my blog as a place I document #ramadandaily 
9. Intentioanlly drink 1.5 litter of water after iftar and 1.5 liter of water during sahur. I still have to maintain 3L of water daily
10. Salah Tarawih every night either by myself or with my kids. Hopefully I can inspire my kids to embrace Tarawikh
11. Take supplement like Vitamin C, Calcium, Omega 3 or Primrose Oil 
12. Catch up on One Little Word assignments
13. Write and capture life little details on Dayone app
14. Taking the stairs daily at work. I still need to move even though I am fasting. 
15. Organize and clean my computer at home and at work. I like that there's less activites at work during Ramadan. I have a lot of time to do some cleaning up and planning
16. Eating less and move more is still my goal this month
17. Continue doing Project Life
18. Plan a healthy meal during Iftar and Sahur
19. Start daily zikir habit. I have been meaning to start zikir habit but somehow I seems to forget to do them. What better way to start a habit other than in Ramadan. 
20. I am still planning to do 21 day Fix Extreme workout program. I still have a long way to go in terms of weight loss. 

May Allah help me and easy my way during Ramadan. AMIN.

What are your goals for Ramadan? 

Any special preparation and planning for the month?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The journey so far...

Ever since I bought fitbit alta in April this year, I've become obsessed with steps. Achieving 10,000 steps a day has become my number on goal. Before fitbit I never realised how static my life was, hitting 10,000 steps seems impossible.

Begin with the End in mind has become my habit when it comes to reaching 10,000 steps. I love seeing those numbers move up every time I moved. It's like an addiction. In the beginning I started with hitting at least 6,000 steps during office hours and 10,000 steps by 9:00 pm. 

In a month I have managed to achieve that goal and more. Naturally this mont I set my goal to hit at least 9,000 steps during office hours and 10,000 steps before 7:00pm. It's such an amazing feeling when you hit the 10,000 steps goal. 

(view from the top - 18th floor with Geng Panjat Tangga)
The four things that I did in a day to achieve 10,000 step goal or more are:
1. Climb the stairs at work - I am lucky that at work, we have 17th floor to climb and conquer. At first I was only able to climb up to fifth floor, it was tough and my knee hurt so bad. After awhile I decided to go for it, up to 17th floor. This activity boost my steps count to at least 800 steps in less than 8 minutes.
2. Jog in place or jumping jack for 60 seconds every two hours - this will definitely buy me around 300 steps
3. Take the longest route - walking around my office area can buy me at least 300 steps
4. Exercise - What a better way to end the day other than working out. With at least 60 minutes of active workout I can easily get at least 3,000 steps.
I am happy with the results. So far I have managed to achieve all the goals set in fitbit alta app - steps, calories burn, distance and active minutes in a day. The only thing left of achieve is sleep. I am still unable to get 7 hours of sleeps. I might need an action plan for that. 
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

And So the adventure begins // Project Life App

I am so tired after doing Lower Fix 21 day Fix Extreme and T25 Speed 2.0. It took a lot of me to finished with both workouts. In the end I feel happy that I have accomplished something today. Maybe not saving the world per say but the feeling of achieving the impossible is so seductive.

So does making scrapbook layouts using Project Life App. I am enjoying the process so much.

HERE ARE MY SCRAPBOOK LAYOUTS FOR THIS WEEK  

"Be Creative, Show up and Focus on what's important"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Project Life™ is a system created by Becky Higgins. To learn more about this approach to saving your memories, click here.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Accepting who you are

Part of cultivating a good life is accepting who you are. I was not the kind of person born with high self-esteem and confidence.

I have struggled with these issue for the longest time. Living in a culture where people only see the bad things in you wasn't easy for me. I was constantly reminded of how horrible I was and how bad I did things.

I admit that I was not like other people here. I think differently, I believe different things and I like things that were not normal for a girl to like.I am grateful that Allah allowed me to study in America. It was the best thing for me. Even though I was so afraid to leave my hometown, I was so excited with all the possibilities and adventure waiting for me.

While I was there I learned a lot about myself. Apparently I am normal and I am not crazy. Learning to love myself grew slowly as I rediscovered who I am and what I want in life. I am still learning and reinventing myself until now but at least I don't hate myself anymore. As long as what I do and love doesn't contradict with my believe, I am going to tell myself -- "Biarkan si luncai terjun dengan labu-labunya" and I am not going to get suck into Bangau oh bangau syndrome. 

I am a Muslim
I am a woman
I am a mother
I am a wife
I am a daughter
I am a boss
I am a follower
I am a leader
I am a teacher
I am a student
I am a reader
I am a fitness enthusiast
I am in love with Scrapbooking
I am a memory keeper
I love exercise and working out
I love all pretty things
I love technology
I love planner
I love making lists
I am passionate
I love completely 
I love books
I love knoweledge
I am obsess with stationaries
I like collecting notebooks and journals
I write, I journal
I don't cook just because I am not really good at handling fire
I love music
I am a happy person by default
I am easily trouble by the bad things that happened in the world
I love learning new things
I love stories and histories

Everyday that I am alive I want to reinvent myself, learn more, love more and explore the world around me. Life is too short to be someone else.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Guilty // book review

It has been a long time since the last time I review a book I have just read. I've finished this book in April before my vacation. I just didn't get around to write a review yet. So today I will take the time to review this book because I love Will Robie series by David Baldacci. I have read three out of four books form this series. The Guilty is one of my favorite book from this series.

What the book is about?
"Will Robie escaped his small Gulf Coast hometown of Cantrell, Mississippi, after high school, severing all personal ties, and never looked back. Not once. Not until the unimaginable occurs. His father, Dan Robie, has been arrested and charged with murder.
Father and son haven't spoken or seen each other since the day Robie left town. In that time, Dan Robie--a local attorney and pillar of the community--has been elected town judge. Despite this, most of Cantrell is aligned against Dan. His guilt is assumed.
To make matters worse, Dan has refused to do anything to defend himself. When Robie tries to help, his father responds only with anger and defiance. Could Dan really be guilty? 
With the equally formidable Jessica Reel at his side, Robie ignores his father's wishes and begins his own desperate investigation into the case. But Robie is now a stranger to his hometown, an outsider, a man who has forsaken his past and his family. His attempts to save his father are met with distrust and skepticism . . . and violence.
Unlike the missions Robie undertook in the service of his country, where his target was clearly defined, digging into his father's case only reveals more questions. Robie is drawn into the hidden underside of Cantrell, where he must face the unexpected and possibly deadly consequences of the long-ago choices made by father and son. And this time, there may be no escape for either of them." excerpt from amazon.com
What do I think?
1. This is definitely my second favorite book this year
2. If you love Will Robie character you are going to love this book. You will learn more about Will Robie, who he was and where he came from.
3. I totally did not expect the ending. I like when I was surprised by the development of the story. It makes sense to me.
4. I really like the scene when Jessica Reel came to his rescue. I like the two of them together. Great chemistry.
5. The thing I can conclude from this book is you cannot run from your past, family always find a way to come together and revenged is never good for the soul.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves thriller. The audiobook is also amazing. It's a fun and enjoyable read.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

#thursday3 {19.05.2016}

It has been a busy Thursday for me. So many things I wanted to do especially when it comes to hitting 10,000 steps goal in a day. Not an easy goal to achieve unless I am doing it intentionally. 

HERE ARE MY PHOTO AND FACTS FOR THE WEEK 




1. I am still in love with Project Life app. I cam make a layout like this in less than one minute. 

2. I am listening again to Getting Things Done audiobook. This time I am listening to the revised edition. I am still trying to implement GTD Methodology in my life. It's not as easy as I thought it would be especially when it time to process and organised 'stuffs' 

3. I am thinking about my life a lot lately. I wanted so bad to do something different, to make a different and change people's life. Somehow I find that it's hard to do at my current position.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Think about it this way…If you take one picture and write down three facts each week — at the end of the year you’ll have more than 50 photos of yourself and 150 facts about what life has been like. It would make such an epic All About Me book — and most of the work is already done." - rukristin.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Project Life App // Another Inspiration in May

I am really thankful for Project Life app. I can make these layouts while watching TV and during lunch break without a lot of preparation. The only thing that I hope this app can do is to write on images or photos. I am hoping that this year Project Life App will get upgrade in terms of features and functionally and not just adding new kits in the app.

HERE ARE MY SCRAPBOOK LAYOUTS FOR THIS WEEK  

"Be Creative, Show up and Focus on what's important"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Project Life™ is a system created by Becky Higgins. To learn more about this approach to saving your memories, click here.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

45 things at 45 // Digital Scrapbook Album

I was so inspired by Kam's mini album 30 things at 30, that I decided to do one for myself. I need an album like this to capture life little things that other wise might be lost over the years.

I can't believe that next month I'll be forty five! Oh boy! Five more years and I'll be fifty. What better ways to celebrate my birthday other than an album all about me? A gift from me to me and probably way in the future for my kids too. (If they are curious to know what their mother was l like at 45) heheheh....

45 Things About Me at 45

As a fan of iPad and GoodNotes app, I am excited to us the app to it's full potential. For this project other than GoodNotes app, I used digital scrapbook paper from Life Story Kit, which I resized to A4 size. I am keeping this project as simple as possible - minimal design, a photo and a little bit of journaling on every page.

For the Alphas I used Life Stories Alpha and More than mom Alpha. Both kits can be purchased at SweetShoppe Designs.

My plan for a project like this is I will convert the finish project into pdf format. I can print them out as a hardcopy or view them in iBook. Something simple and fun for me to do this month. Who knows maybe I'll go crazy and make a photo book .. the thought has crossed my mind.

iPlanner Setup 2016 [May]

Hello everybody! I am excited today because I have been meaning to do a blog post about this for awhile now.

I have been switching from ipad to my kikki k planner for awhile now. I am still trying to make my ipad as my main planner but somehow writing on an ipad wasn't as much fun as writing with pen and paper ... well until now.

Last month I decided to upgrade my ipad to iPad Pro 9.7" just because I wanted the Apple Pencil. From what I read and watch on youtube the Apple Pencil works amazing with the iPad Pro 12".

I am so happy that I made the switch. Writing with the Apple Pencil on my iPad is everything that I image what it would be. No more unexpectedly disconnected from the iPad.

Suddenly I realised that I have been using my iPad more and more and I have not touch my planner in a while. I just realise that I can truly use my iPad as my Digital Planner now. The only limitation was the app that you used.

As for now I am still using GoodNotes app and it works perfectly with Apple Pencil.


 HERE ARE WHAT MY DIGITAL PLANNER LOOKS LIKE  

1. iPlanner horizontal weekly planner 2015-2106 - personal planning

2. iPlanner Daily 2016 - this is my main planner for work and life. I do all my planning in here.
(I can actually put all these notebooks into section but I just like to see them in separate notebook for easy access)

3. Brain Dump - where I list all of the things that occupy my brain into random lists

4. Ramadan Journal - I already setup a separate journal for Ramadan. I am still struggling with menu planning for the month especially during Sahur

5. Fitness Journal - I am migrating my fitness journal into this notebook. I am making it like a bullet journal style. I really love the freedom of bullet journal.

6. Project 2016 - This will host my planning for 2016 projects at work. My place to plan and monitor the progress of things that in my scope of work

7. Notes - a place where I write on things that I learned either from books, blogpost or youtube

8. Journal - a place where I can write my thoughts and feelings randomly without editing.

I might add a few more notebooks if I feel like I need them. For now I am happy with I this setup. It works perfectly for me. I love writing and doodling in this app. I still use Kikki K planner at work for the things that I have not migrated yet and it stays at work.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My progress so far // with fitbit alta

Ever since I bought fitbit alta last month, I have been obsesses with hitting 10,000 steps a day. I used to think that I was pretty active but when I looked at my statistic apparently I was not. It is not easy to hit 10,000 steps a day when you have a desk job. With fit bit alta I can now monitor my steps and make sure I stand up, walk around, take the stairs every chance I get so that by the time to go home I am already beyond 80% from my target.

I am so happy to report that I am able to hit 10,000 steps a day for a week now. Having a fitness tracker like fitbit really helps me stay active and have managed to get me excited about moving around. Now my challenge would be to hit 10,000 steps during weekend especially when I don't have anything plan but rest at home. Adding a workout routine in the mix really helps speed up the steps count.

My tips to increase steps
1. Take the stairs instead of elevator - This really help me a lot. I usually take the stairs when I'm going to my office in the morning and when I left in the evening. Sometimes I like to challenge myself and take the stairs just for fun during lunch break. Currently I am only focusing taking the stairs until 5th floor.
2. Take the longest route - either to the bathroom or to the meeting room.
3. Walk around the meeting room if I have been sitting for too long
4. Visit my team mate at their desk when I have something to discuss
5. Jog in place for 60 seconds at a time if I was short on time. The sudden burst of heart rate increase that help boost calories burn and my steps as well

I can tell you after doing these for two weeks I am not able to sit in place for long. Sitting makes me uneasy and uncomfortable. I just have to stand and move. I guess our body is meant for moving.

Notes: I am currently doing 21 day fix extreme. It's the hardest workout I have ever tried. I am still having trouble completing Dirty 30 and I am on week two. I seriously can say that with this program I have managed to loose a few pounds in two weeks.

"Be Creative, Show up and Focus on what's important"

#thursday3 [12.05.2016]

It has been a long time since the last time I did this project. It's time to continue the tradition. 

HERE ARE MY PHOTO AND FACTS FOR THE WEEK 

1. I am currently reading Essentialism: The Discipline Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. I highly recommend this book. It's amazing idea, getting rid of nonessential. So many white noise around me lately.

2. I am so obsess with calories in calories out and reaching 10,000 steps per day. I am hoping to shred at least 2kg by end of the month. Hopefully I can achieve it. It's so damn hard!

3. I am thinking about my life a lot lately. I wanted so bad to do something different, to make a different and change people's life. Somehow I find that it's hard to do at my current position.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Think about it this way…If you take one picture and write down three facts each week — at the end of the year you’ll have more than 50 photos of yourself and 150 facts about what life has been like. It would make such an epic All About Me book — and most of the work is already done." - rukristin.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Apple Pencil // Why I love it

I can't express enough of how much I am in love with Apple Pencil. Way back when I first started using iPad I have always imagining that I am able to write on my iPad like pen and paper. It's finally comes true in 2016! Yeah!!!



My only reason to upgrade my iPad was I wanted the Apple Pencil. iPad Pro the 12" was too big for me. I feel like iPad should be 9.7", the right size to carry around and the right size to write on. (Some how I felt like in a Goldilocks story book, too big, too small, just right)

Anyway, back to the Apple Pencil, many people said that the price is way too expensive for a stylus. Yeah it is expensive but when compared to Mont Blanc pen, it's not that expensive (hehehe..)

Here are FiVE Reason why I am in love with the Apple Pencil

1. I can charged the pencil with my iPad. Believe it or not I kinda like the idea of charging this pencil with the iPad. I know it looks ridiculous but the charging is super super fast and I don't have to worry about buying an extra charging cable for it. It's brilliant!

2. Writing with the Apple Pencil feels so good. It's the closes thing to the real pen. 

3. Integration with third party app is amazing. I used GoodNotes app for my digital planner and my notes, I don't have any problem connecting this pencil to the app. It happened instantly. 

4. I like that I can use the Apple pencil with a real ruler and stencil. It's slim enough to fit into my stencil that I usually used for my planner.

5. Palm Rejection is amazing! I don't have any problem with it. Finally I can use a pen with my iPad like I am using a pen with my planner. 

There you have it, the reasons my I love my Apple Pencil so much. This is also the reason why I am migration all of my planner to my iPad. This device satisfied my need to write and doodle.

The Perfect Moment // Project life inspiration 2016

It has been a long time since the last time I share my Project Life layout a.k.a Digital Scrapbook page here. That was because I haven't had a chance to make any and I was running out of photos to scrap. I wanted to go back like ten years and start to scrap some old photos but somehow I just didn't get to it. I need to do something about that.

In the mean time enjoy a few eye candy from me, a few that I come up with in a few days.

HERE ARE MY SCRAPBOOK LAYOUTS FOR THIS WEEK  

These layouts were made using Project Life App and in store kit. Phonto App for writing on photo.



---------------------------------------------------
Using Adobe Photoshop 
Kit: iNSD Gab Bag 2016 by Pixelily Designs

 

"Be Creative, Show up and Focus on what's important"

10 apps you need to download right now (ipad version)

I know I have been slacking in making a blog post regularly. I was jetlag for about a week and getting back into your normal routine is not easy.

I have upgrade my ipad to iPad Pro 9.7" last month. I have been waiting for Apple to upgrade the iPad Air line since last year, instead they made iPad Pro 9.7'. The beauty of this iPad is it works with the Apple Pencil. I have been eyeing the Apple Pencil for awhile now and it's everything that I imagine it would be. I will make a separate blog post about the Apple Pencil. I have so much to talk about it.

I have been using iPad since the iPad 2 and I have never regret the purchased. I have been using the iPad to consume content and lately to create content as well. I don't find the need for a laptop anymore. I still have an iMac, sitting safely in my office or at home. iPad is the only thing I took with me everywhere I go. 

In my opinion, other than the regular app like mail, weather, safari on you ipad, you need these additional apps to fully utilised your iPad. Some is free and some cost money. 

 10 Apps you have to download right now!

1. GoodNotes app - this is my go to app for writing on the iPad. Apple pencil works great with this app. I am falling in love with this app all over again. Now I can use this app for digital planning and journaling. I am migrating all my kikki k notes into this app. Love love it!

2. Alarm Clock HD Pro app - I have been using this app for the longest time. Every time I went to bed I launch this app until morning. It's my digital clock at night

3. Project Life app - I think if you have camera phone and memories to document you have to download this app right now. It's scrapbooking on your phone with less hassle and it's very very fast.

4. Kindle app - It's the next best thing to kindle device. Since we can't buy the kindle device here in Malaysia, the kindle app is the option to go. Luckily we can purchased kindle book now and reading has never been this simple and light. 

5. Google Keep app -  I have been trying google keep app on my ipad and iphone since last month and so far I am enjoying it. It's simple and easy enough to use and it sync beautifully across multiple devices.

6. Pigment app - the true adult coloring app on the ipad. I have been searching for an app like this for the longest time. I am glad I found it. Now I can color like using a pencil with this app. No more tapping.

7. Fantastical 2 app - the best calendar base app for your ipad. Too bad the app is not universal. You have to purchase it separately for iphone and ipad.

8. BugMe! app - I love this sticky note app especially the option to save the sticky note as an image. Anything I want to write on sticky note, I will write in this app , save the image and I add the image into my digital planner.

9. Sticky Notes app - this is another sticky note app the I love. It doesn't support inking but it has a dashboard. You can create your monthly or weekly dashboard here, stick a bunch of stickies reminder and a monthly calendar too. You can event capture a photo of the dashboard and made a wall paper for your ipad.

10. Scannable app - scanner app from Evernote. Ipad also has become my portable scanner. I found it easier to scan receipts and small document right from my ipad compare to my computer. I can upload the scan images right to Evernote.

Do you have any other apps that you 

thing I must download right now? 

Please share, I want to know.

Today is all about you .. Happy nineteen birthday

I can't believe that my eldest son is nineteen years old today. 


05.05.2016 - Happy birthday to my dear son, may all of your dreams comes true.

Nineteen things I love about you

1. You have so much love to give
2. It's so easy to talk to you
3. I love your artistic side
4. I love how creative you are
5. Your cool and collective nature
6. You rarely say no to me
7. I love the foot massage that only you can give me
8. I love that we like most of the same things
9. You keep your promise
10. You have a talent for managing money
11. We enjoy the same movie and TV show
12. You are my anchor
13. I love your art work
14. The day you got your driving licence was the best day of my life. It means I can finally relax from driver duty
15. I love that I can trust you
16. I lve that you are not ashame to be seen with me
17. I was a mother for the first time with you
18. You are the precious gift from Allah 
19. I love you.. there's no one like you in this world

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

May is for ...

Alhamdulillah May is here. I had a blast in April that I makes we want to remain there. I love visiting Switzerland, it was a different world from what I was accustom to. Hopefully May will brings me lots of happiness and joy.

May is for ...

• My son celebrate his nineteen birthday this month ( tomorrow to be exact)
• Print out this year photos to put into my Project Life Album
• finished reading up The Guilty by David Baldacci. I have only a few chapters left
• buy birthday gift for my son
• practice fasting this month to get ready for Ramadan 
• 21 day fix extreme program
• hit at least 10,000 steps a day
• working out at least 60 minutes a day for 5 days
• exploring ipad pro 9.7" with Apple pencil. So many things can be achieve with these two devices. I think I might use iPlanner full time. It feel so good writing with Apple pencil
• listen or watching this month assignment for one little word class. I can't wait to get started
• getting back to my old routine but with a different twist. I need to start waking up a little bit early in the morning so that I can get into the rhythm when Ramadan comes next month
• read at least two new books this month

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone