There was a period of time in my life, just recently, where I suffered from a burnt-out.
Alfi said I needed to focus and probably I will get things done. In a way, when he said that to me, I was a little upset.

I know he meant well, always giving me the motivation because he knows my limit is never to put myself a limit.
I am famous for pushing myself which I think I got that from my late dad.

I tried managing and dividing my time nicely but somehow things do not work like a clockwork.
With a family, 2 kids and a job, there is always something cropping up at the undesired timing.

I would plan to do Her Closet mail outs every morning before work and then head down to the office.
Lunch and then head home. Dinner, chill, settle the kids and when they tuck in, I will work on Her Closet.
Weekends are allocated strictly for tuition in the morning with the rest of the day strictly for family.

Sounds easy.

In reality, it isn't.

There can be instances where the kids are not well. Or I have an early morning meeting offsite and cannot do my mailing. Tuition has to be shifted because of family commitment. Orders cannot be replied because the moment the kids sleep, I will be right next to them sleeping.

Even on weekends, everyone seeks your time that it is very challenging just to have some nice time with your own family of 4.

So it is tough.

I was so burnt out that I made a plan. A plan to quit my corporate job and focus on entrepreneurship.
Alfi is a business consultant who advises a lot of SMEs daily so he is a free asset to me and I thought with my passion and his guidance, we would make a good team.
Plus, I had it with work. There was no work-life balance at probably the salary I am getting. Work had its own issues and it really pulled me down.
All i wanted to do was to go home and see my children because they never fail to lift that huge burden off my shoulders.
I enjoy giving them their evening showers, play with them, make them milk, wash them with every dirty diaper and at the same time, making sure Alfi had everything he needed to make himself comfortable at home.
It made me feel like a SUPER Mom.

So on 28th June was the day I had planned to 'throw letter'. I am so confident that I would make it on my own with tuition/enrichment classes, Her Closet and blogging. Social media is my forte and I knew with the focus, it could work much more for me.
Alfi & I sat down and calculated the risks and advantages.

It seemed like a very good plan. Send out my resignation letter, serve my one month notice and it was time to move back to my home in Ang Mo Kio.
It would be a fresh beginning for me and the kids. They would wake up to see me every morning. To date, Rania still wake up crying at times but always looking for me every single morning. I had no heart to bring myself to work (though when I am at work, the brain works differently)

But I was very geared up. I shared these plans with some close relatives and friends and they were very supportive.
For me, it was not an easy way out. It was a plan I thought was wise. A plan better for the family.

Come 28th, Alfi was in Hawaii. I called him to say if it is ok to 'throw letter'.
He told me to hold it. His instincts have always been right so I did not question (though I really wish I could but I was not in to spark off another baseless session).

I held my letter back.

I held my letter back but everyday I question what was in store for me. It did not take me long to find the answer.
We believe He is the best planner of our lives. So I have learnt to accept and move forward, keeping the valuables things in life close to my heart.

I always smile when I see the siblings interact with each other. How they would play (rough most times and I will rarely mediate).




How we our lives have changed so much just by having these wonderful gifts from Him




And most of all, I love how my children cling to me like I am their lifeline.
Nothing beats the unconditional love I get from both of them.




Life is always a struggle and a never-ending challenge. It will never change.
It is a promise for us on this Earth. But I am always so thankful of the gifts, the mercy and the love He gives me.

It makes my journey more bearable.
Much more bearable.

18 out of 40 weeks

I am disgusted with myself about how much I lack blogging and it is not that I do not want to.
Time just does not seem to permit.
Sometimes (only sometimes!) I let Candy Crush decide the best of me.

Wakakaka!

But the days are really taking a toll on me. So many things in my head. So many things to execute but I just do not seem to have enough of 24 hours.
Then I question myself, 'Is this what the world is to me now?'

Then I am saddened.
I have long since took a back, enjoy the sights and the scenery or even bend down to smell the roses.
Ok.. all those are metaphors. Sure.

But that is what life seems to me now.

The new role I have despite being very interesting and something I enjoy just sponge up my time very quickly.



If you think this is my typical work day, let me share with you that it is not.
This is one of the rare days which I get to sit in the office and work my emails on my laptop.



Otherwise, I am constantly on the move, visiting and hosting customers. This was a picture taken on my birthday with the Japanese delegates. Looks fun but I swear it was exhausting.

I reply a lot of my emails on the move.
Whenever I am from one location and need to head to the other, I will use the time in the taxi to first do my work calls, then I moved on to calling my mom and daughter to see how they are doing at home. Check if she is alright and playing well. Listen to her antics from my mom. Then I will make a final call to my husband. Always a quick one to check on his schedule and tell him that I missed him.

And because of this, I have little or almost no sentiments of my pregnancy times, which is sad.
There was only a handful times where I sat down, rubbed my tummy hoping and trying to feel the connection with me and my little one inside.

Rania sleeps at 11.30pm. She cries for milk (yes, at 17 months) at 3am and 7am.
By 8am, I am up to get ready for work. If Rania is up and I do not have a meeting till the afternoon, I will have her showered and changed then I get ready for work.
I am lucky that work is pretty flexible and mobile in that sense (though there are monsterous days)

I buy or bring lunch before I head to the office so that I have good productive hours.

By 4.30pm I'm off.
Again, if I am in the office. Otherwise, if there are meetings and dinner appointments, it can stretch till late night.

By the time I am home, my home tuition classes start. One after another.
Sometimes if I am lucky, I have 1 class. On normal days, I have two classes.
And on really exhausting days, I have 3 classes back to back and will not get to spend time with Rania will about 10.30pm.

That is when my dinner is, shower, read Rania a book and I may end up dozing before her.
It is the same for the husband too.

Now that June is coming and exams are over, we start to see a slow down rate of classes. Which gives the family a little bit more space to breathe.

For a start, I am already at my 18th week of pregnancy! Yay!
How time flies this pregnancy. In the past, I will do my weekly reading of the baby's development, diligent with my multivitanmins, folic acid and fish oil.
This time around, I am very complacent with my prenatal care which makes me feel like a terrible mother and how I wish I can hold others responsible but then again I let fate take its course.



So far, I have only put on 5kg and I was overestimating my size terribly.
Partly because I was really huge when I was pregnant with Rania. At the same time, being pregnant with an active 17th month old baby and working round the clock is really hectic.

But to say I am small is such a blatant lie. I was among the flourishing mothers who could not lose the last 5kg from the first pregnancy.
With Rania, I put on a total of 22kg. I WAS A WHALE!!!

But to lose 17kg was quite a good job, don't you think?

Today, I am looking out for a good massage lady for my post natal care. So if you know of any good ones, do share with me. I am looking for those who can wrap me up nice and tight.

There are times when I pity Rania who will have to share my time with her sibling at a tender age of 1 yr 10 mths.



Rania can already help me with simple things. She understands instructions like 'take', 'give' and when I say 'please' it means I really need her cooperation. In fact, she has been helping out with her pregnant mummy take things in the room because I am too tired to move around.

I am also trying to spend as much time I can with her. It guilts me when she hugs me around my neck out of no reason or when she whines unnecessarily for me to carry her and her father would not allow.





My advertising for Pampers was great! Not only did we have were on the OMY (a blogging community within Singapore Press Holdings) highlights



But we also made it on My Paper, a bilingual paper which is given out for free!



So yes, there has been a lot of things going on.
Work is work and family time is always the best to keep your sanity. So for all that is worth, I am still contented on the small little things He gives me despite I spend less time smelling the roses.

I will be back for more, definitely.
Just to quickly share, we got sponsorship for Canon Pixma and it has been awesome fun!



June is the time where many spend time with their children over the school holidays and I will share with you fun and exciting things you can do as a family with a Canon Photo Printer.

xoxo

Finding love

After a long time, I am burning the midnight oil to write in this entry. Rania slept early and I have completed all the other things I needed to.
Lately, I felt like I had too many things at my hand all at once, that I admit I prioritise somethings more than others.

Firstly, I had my period 5 days late. Nausea, dizziness, refuse to eat and I was confident that I was going through my first trimester.
3 pregnancy sticks and I was still negative. I even resorted to buying the $25 digitial pregnancy kit test but it was still negative. I was frustrated but at the same time scared that there is a health issue that I did not know.

So now I know I am not pregnant, I went to the doctor to discuss on my symptoms which he merely suspected that I was too tired.

Because of that, I rarely spent time with Rania and I swear I hate myself. When I get to, I am drained that all I wish was for her to head to bed early. (how can i not hate myself)
That also explains my quiet Instagram and occasional Facebook activity.

Everything was demanding. Tuition classes were kicking off. Work was demanding because I am really taking on 3 HUGE projects, excluding all the administration work which we can never run away from.
I really did not expect a promotion. From the day I accepted the offer, it was the same day that emails multi folds, internal meetings doubled and external meetings tripled. I am not kidding. I told Alfi that I could not carry my backpack any longer.
It was taking a toll on my back that I could not carry Rania when I came home.

With his bonus, he gifted me a laptop trolley bag which I am so grateful for it.
(We make an effort to present each other with something not too expensive each time we get our yearly bonus.)

I put my photography and home business aside and that of course impacted me. But it was my choice and I had to face the music. I had too but I had to maintain my pace at work and make them know that it was not a mistake to give that new role to me.

It was three weeks ago when mum announced that we were going for Umrah. So many things just run in my head that I got disorientated. I did not know what to do, how to feel, what to expect.

Can you imagine, I did not even know that it was winter and I was rushing before the year-end sale last year to get Rania some warm clothes, socks, stocking up her milk and buying new bottles because now her milk demand increases.

I did not even know what to bring, what to wear, what to wear to the airport, what to standby in the plane. I did not know what the itenary means.
I still need to find the right diaper bag to carry and I finally finalised the things I need to bring to Makkah and Medinah. I needed to dress properly yet practically for the pilgrimage because Rania will be with me. Alfi and I need to strategise on what bags to carry and hand-carry into the cabin because I need to push the pram and take care of Rania.

I feared if I got sick and quickly scheduled appointments with my asthma specialist, allergy specialist, stock up some of my medications for the trip. Then I needed to think of what medications to bring along in case if Rania gets sick there, which I hope not.

Then we had to attend the crash course to make sure we know the basics to do Umrah.
Everyday I worry there is something which I am missing out. Today, I have still yet to put all these in my head into a 'What to bring' list. Alfi is still finalising our travel insurance.

So last weekend, the whole family went for the Umrah briefing and there were chants at the background. As I looked at the screen, I saw the translation in Malay and I teared.

Labbaik Allah humma labbaik
Labbaik la sharika laka labbaik
Innal hamda
Wan-ni'mata
Laka walmulk
Laa sharika lah.

O my Lord, here I am at Your service, here I am.
There is no partner with You,
here I am.
Truly the praise
and the provisions are Yours,
and so is the dominion and sovereignty.

There is no partner with You.

Then I realised what it meant by the calling to go there.



Insya Allah I will be there soon. I am still nervous about it as much as I am looking forward to this trip. With no expectations, I only wish my family and I are in good health to perform our ibadahs and that we raise to the tests there.

It's my opportunity to be close to God. I have always tried to be close to Him but I let myself go and let Him guide me when I lost my father. I let Him control my path and be humble to fate. For someone who is a strong character, it took me to lose my dad to understand that.

One year after dad's passing, the whole family will be there. I will pray for my dearest dad all the time. I will pray for calmness in my soul. I will pray for the health of my family. For those who have kept me in their prayers, I will repay you with my doas for you there.

Losing my dad changed me, totally. He taught me a lot in life, more in his death.
I miss you dad. I just know you are proud of me then and now because that is what you always conveyed to me.

I wish we could have you during this journey. But I will keep you in my doa's I promise. I know you will never be far.

They say, visiting Makkah and Medina is where we meet our Prophet Muhammad SAW and they always say that love God and the Prophet before anything else. I want to find that love and keep it with me.

May my niat & hajat be fulfilled, Insya Allah.

My support system

This was me at my work desk yesterday.
If you had already known Microsoft New World of Work, all except secretaries have their own desks. We are mobile. So whenever I enter the office, I choose which floor I head to and pick out which desk I would like to seat.

Ok, but that is not the point. My point is, many actually wonder how I handle my tuition classes which is every day except Sunday and Her Closet and my new exploration on photography.

Truth is, me and Alfi have a timetable where there will be days when I teach and he takes care of Rania. This year, tuition is more overwhelming for me than for Alfi.
During times when both of us are busy in the evening, mummy will help watch over Rania.

Honestly, I did not expect to be overwhelmed with tuition classes this year but I think with the intention to have a second one, Allah always makes it more favourable for us.

This is challenging. Juggling everything at once.
Which is why I am very appreciative with my HC customers for being very forgiving if i forget their mails or i missed out sometimes. I am human and thus I make errors all the time.

This year, work sends me to NTU/NIE 4 times a week and backend works are already starting the moment I was offered this new position ON TOP of whatever government marketing projects I am working on now. I love the new work challenge. I am 30, still young in the industry and many more to explore and I am willing to ride the wave.

My co-managers and directors were asking if I was planning another one.
I was honest and said yes, yet no one gave me the look of,"I wish I didn't give you the promotion." With that, I am very thankful for their support.

This new challenge came unexpectedly. I was willing to 'rot' in Microsoft because it is so family friendly and flexible working hours. But things will change. Travelling from mid-east to the end of the east-west line and travelling further is no joke.

I pray He will help me through these moments.
I thank Him for this opportunity and a very good support system. I thank Alfi for asking me to look on the bright side because I was quite resistant to this change. I thank my mom for giving me the support to take care of Rania. I thank my maid (though she can be a drama queen) for helping taking care of Rania.

This is my path.
It is never easy for working mothers and I underestimated them before I became a mother.

Today, many times, I sleep while (or sometimes before) putting Rania to bed (and she is still playing peek-a-boo with her sleeping mummy). I spend less time with her.
But I try to play games with her at night while lying in bed. Teaching her the basics of 1,2,3 or A,B,C or simple shapes.

And yes dad, it is true that even when you come home tired, you forget all the exhaustion when you see the smile on your child's face.

I am amazed with parenthood and I see the changes in me.
I am sure that I am not the only one facing challenges as a working mom and I would love to hear your challenges as well. Surely, the more children you have, the more you need to handle.

Drop me a comment or an email and rest assured all other working mummies will appreciate.

xoxo

Work that Shirt

I have been working for 7 years now and I have always fancied shirts.
I love the clean look and I love how it complimented my torso (back then)

I worked my diet that I could tuck in my shirts into my pants.
Please be reminded that this was way before pregnancy. I was not skinny. I have always been meaty but I have always managed.

In the organization where I work in now, unless I meet high profile customers, I will be in my jeans all the time.
Even shirt and jeans and I love that semi casual look because you will look great either in jeans or flats.

Previously, my choice of shirts will be from G2000 because they are very affordable and have many colours. But I didn't like the fact that the shirt is short and I had to be conscious whenever I sit.

When my career got a bit better, I decided to buy shirts from Zara. Better cotton and better cut. Again, I could tuck in that look. Plus I love the fact that if I take a bigger size, the sleeves still did justice. It was not too long.

During all these time, I quietly wished I had a tailored shirt. My weakness is always my stomach. Even when I was pregnant, my arms were not exactly huge. It was just the stomach which was getting in the way of everything.

But I thought it was far fetched. Tailored shirts are way too expensive.
Really. So when I got myself personalized shirts, I fell in love it them immediately.
I will share them with you in time. In fact, I ended up designing my own shirts with cuff links and made it pregnant friendly!

Ok pregnancy came along when I had to say good bye to all the shirts and wore cotton tees for comfort. It was bye bye to heels as well.

Truth is, I am a fashion disaster. Ever since my pregnancy, I hated going back to normal pants. Oh yes, it was my joy to get back into my pre-pregnancy pants because it meant that I have lost the (water) weight. But, I didn't like how it will feel so tight around my waist and create an awful bulge when I sit down.

I seriously recommend pregnancy pants especially for long flight travels. Ok, I guess many just wont get me that I truly enjoy pregnancy pants.
In fact, I still wear them until today.

It didn't help too that I have a whole dormant wardrobe in Ang Mo Kio and my pregnancy clothes at my Mom's. I try to make out the best I can to work. I would sneak to my sister's wardrobe and see some of her larger pieces which I can fit.

So during a meeting yesterday when my colleague mentioned that Raoul was having sale of shirts, it didn't take me long to decide that I needed to get there.
Because I still consider myself a plus size, bigger size shirts will mean longer sleeves.

So I was really thrilled to see cuffed half length sleeves. It helps with my figure because I have a smaller arms so I am taking people's eyes away from my middle part of my body to my shoulder and my arms.

Ok fine, I can't fit into the slim fit yet. Semi slim fit is good enough.
*lol*



And for more comfortable wear for the office throughout the whole day, I choose the straight fit.



Their straight fits have darts in front and at the back so it is very flattering.
Guess how much were they?
I bought 3 of such shirts for $150!

Another steal isn't it? Now I am more geared up for office.
They do have jackets and dresses and skirts so head down to Raffles City for your picks!



Well sweetie, in time, Mummy would like to share about my tailored shirts.
Are you a fan of shirts to work?

xoxo

Feels like Christmas

I have always loves festivals.
Like for example, I love Hari Raya because you can get tons of food.

I like Deepavali because their lightings are always very nice.
It is the festival of lights anyway.

I like Christmas because though other countries are worried about the monsoons, it is the only time that we Singaporeans get to enjoy cold weather.
And I love it that Starbucks celebrates the season with their yearly Peppermint Mocha and Toffee Nut Latte which is my favorite.

And I love their merchandises.



Imagine sitting down in a cafe with warm coffee topped with whipped cream during a cold weather.
It is perfect with good people company or a book and especially after a busy day at work.



Tis' the season!

xoxo

One step closer

I did not get lost.

I did a lot of soul-searching from the time I blogged about needing to see a psychiatrist. A lot more after I met a man whom I last spoke to.
I did mention I felt reborn.

I was beginning to feel reborn.
It was hard initially but hubby and I spoke a lot more with the little time we spent together. We vented frustration in full honesty and agreed to disagree.
The support he gave me, Masya Allah.

It is what defines our marriage today.

My HTC One X went for a repair for a week. My tuition classes were haywire because I didn't back up my contacts on the SIM card. My loan phone did not have Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or any other social networks.

I rested more. Reflected more. Played with my daughter more.
Then I realized I missed enjoying life. I missed laughing a bit more, feeling blessed a bit more.

I feel healthier. My asthma attacks occurred only once when the haze was really bad and the doc thought I was just ok with steroids and no nebulizer.
I was happy. I know it is baby steps to get better.

I still get panic attacks out of no reason. Still feel like I am going to get an asthma. I worked on my breathings (as taught by a cousin or a cousin-in-law I never had) and I made myself relax.
In 15 mins I was ok, back to my feet.

Yes, I danced a little more with my daughter and the husband was very amazed that I had a bit more energy.

It is beginning to help in my work. I am more active and proactive and now I am talking with my partners to get my online businesses back in the game again. And of course the Small Talks sessions which I have given a miss for the past two weeks.
I want to get back on my feet.

My phone came back in my hands on Monday night after a week. I excitedly fitted my SIM card into it and found out that ALL MY DATA WAS GONE!!
It hurts because I take many pictures of Rania growing up EVERYDAY and it is all gone!

I contained my disappointment.

The following day, a litre of water spilled out from my water bottle.
Among the documents which was floating (LITERALLY) in the handbag was my most favourite Canon Powershot S95



You really cannot imagine my despaired face when I saw water dripping out from the zoom lens. I was so angry with myself and disappointed is really an understatement.
But hubby brushed it off. He said this is "harta dunia" and I needed to let go.

It struck me again. I let it go with a little bit more stinging pain in my heart.

So here I am back in the game getting pictures of Rania all over again.



And as I mentioned on Instagram this morning, seeing Rania in the morning is better than my morning coffee, anytime!



Rania is awake by 8 or 9am when the husband and I get ready for work. She gets up and smiles seeing our faces and laughs and plays a little to catch out attention.

It is no longer having the maid to distract her when I need to leave for office. She can follow me to the car and wave at us goodbye before heading up.

That's my big girl and you know I love you a lot my princess.

Having a little bit of time yesterday, hubby brought me to the beach for a walk. We settled down on a grass patch with Starbucks Coffee, KFC junk food and lots and lots of talk.

Just the two of us.






It really felt like my marriage rekindled!
I forgot how it feels like to date my husband. I forgot how it feels like to relax.

My heartfelt thanks to the ladies who continuously send me little notes via Watsapp, FB PMs, Instagram, Twitter, SMS-es. You know who you are.
I cannot thank you enough.

Thank you for keeping me going.
And every prayer, I say my thanks to Him for a wonderful family I have, a lovely sister who keeps me sane, my wonderful cousins and cousins I never had that let me know I need to keep it going and everyone who had been in my life are blessed. Blessed with health and wealth, rahmat and berkat

If you didn't know how much you have helped me, it is indescribable.

I did not get lost.
I let it go.

xoxo

Have you?

Tomorrow is the last day to close registration for Digigirlz.
I know it is kind of bad timing with the Sec 1 to 3 students having exams.

But it is a Friday and during school hours.
Plus with the loads of fun, it is surely something you would not want to miss out.
Goody bags are filled with Loreal stuff, mags and our very own customized Digigirlz wireless mouse.

Have you registered yet?
We close registeration once we hit 80 girls!

Email me for details at a-nubtem@microsoft.com

See you there!

Work-Life Balance

After 30 years, I laid on the bed, passed my little girl to the maid and watched The National Day Rally.
Maybe I have grown up. Maybe it is about time that the national issues worry me.

The economy, health benefits, education are those that interests me a lot now.. or at least at this age.
Baby boom is needed to build up the economy. Which is great!

A lot of people checked-in with me less than a month after my wedding and asked if I was pregnant.
And it went on till I was pregnant and didn't know about it.

Worry not, I always say. The husband and I are looking forward to have children. In fact, I always mention, one of the reasons why I married him was because he wanted 5! So did I!
And that would also mean that he is marrying me to be committed to the family.

And the organisation I work in is a very pro work-life organisation that my husband advised me to 'rot' in here.
Microsoft have made it in Business Times and many other tech magazines, championing work productivity and the new world of work.

So today, I have the joy of being in the corporate world and yet not forgoing my responsibilities as a mother. While a lot of mothers I know dread going back to work after their maternity leave, I was quite okay about it.

Of course, even being away from home for a short while makes me miss my little princess. But I really enjoy working too.
So this is really a great balance.

I can take childcare leave if need be and have a peace of mind that I am spending time with my daughter when needed. I know organisations, even government agencies where employees need to provide child MC to take childcare leave.

I think that is pure crap.

For example, I took childcare leave on one of the days when my mom was in London and my aunty was unable to take care of my little girl.
How do I justify that on black and white.

And during childcare leave, this is what I enjoy most.
Catching up with my husband over lunch so that he can see his princess and queen.
It does cheer him up.

There are also some companies I know deemed themselves as flexible but not-so-flexible. Many who are still not walking the talk.

Let's face it.
There are still many out there who loves micro-managing to the point that even if you need to go to the loo, they should must know. Even the one sitting next to you. Because if you are not seen at your desk, you are considered to be MIA.
Everyone plays the role of a superpower and I think that is disgusting.

We are working adults, feed mouths, take on responsibilities and supposed to be matured to make strategic decisions.

This is definitely the reverse indication.
So yes, I am an advocate of work-life balance. Even if emails come in during the night, I make it a point not to reply till the next morning (unless I have a meeting which will hold me up till lunch)
I cannot help it that I can be a workaholic.

Today, I am still trying to stop surfing on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram by 8pm.
It hasn't worked but I will try to get there.

Family time after 8pm on weekdays.

xoxo

Like a boss

My daughter's antics (so far) just made me smile.
These pictures were taken without any alteration.

I teased her to be the CEO of Her Closet and that mummy is making her work so hard going through business ideas and doing the month end financials.

Seeing her growing up is amazing.
There had never been a day that she did not put a smile on my face.

I love you Rania.
You are my sunshine.

XOXO

When automation fails

I am sharing this with permission of the person who uploaded this and the person who sent the message to.

In the era when people rely on IT and gets lazier with the advance technology, this is what happens.

I am not excluded. I never bothered with my spell checks unless it looks this wrong!

*lol*

To my dearest @farahrashid, thank you for giving me very good laugh after intense moments of working. Thank you @hanirashid for conspiring this blog post.

Love to see you sisters always having a jolly good time.

With love,
XOXO

Sent from my HTC

I am who I am

To be in my shoes means that you need to be super awesome with multi tasking, be in check with emotions 24/7 and try to have a jolly good time at every possible minute.

The hands have been busy multi tasking with work.
The legs have been been busy settling things, going places.
The mouth has been busy with meetings.

It's time to find time for the fingers to do the blogging.
I always said I will be right back and then you all lost me and then I am back again and then lost me again.

The cycle is inevitable because of my lifestyle.
But you know what?

I am always around.
*winks*

Sent from my HTC

Entrepreneurship

I was having tuition with my student the other day and I saw her pencil case.

Being curious, I asked,"Did you draw this?"
"No. I bought it online."

Online?
I thought it was us adults who conquered the internet market. Now the younger generation are leveraging on online purchasing as well.

I am not that old am I?

Anyway, my tuition kiddo bought it for $3.
That is quite a mark up ok.

I wonder what will my children's spending taste be.
That is what technology and modernization is all about.

Be amazed.

#3 - Love Letters from You to Me with Marina K Ishmel

"Salam sis,
Sorry for this surprise email. Jus curious do you wear tudung during working hrs. :)
How is the response from the management? ... Hope this won't disturb ya.."

Yes, it is true that you see pictures of me with the hijab and then without the hijab flying around on Facebook and the blog.
This is really a long story and I hope I did not bore her!

*lol*

Salam sis,

Truth is I do not. I always start going to a new company without wearing the hijab and then I will evaluate the situation.
Previously in my IBM days, I wore the hijab after 1 year in the industry.

This time around in Microsoft, I have not put on the hijab after almost 2 years in my department. Maybe it is because of the situation I am feeling in the office and the nature of people I have to work with. So its really a situation of 'masuk kandang kambing mengembek and masuk kandang lembu menguak'

My outside life is also very private with a lot of people in the office, unless they read my blog. None of my colleagues, except my Director is on my personal Facebook.

There is constantly a part of me that tries to avoid the hiring management discounting me of my credibility in the workforce despite the qualifications. So for me, my priority jobscope and salary scale. The least I can do for my parents who have educated me is to get a good job with good salary.

There are some people who insists that they should wear the hijab and stand by that principle that rezeki di tangan Tuhan. I respect those who view it that way. However, at the end of the day, they need to bear in mind that there are mouths to feed and bills to pay. But truthfully each is it to its own.

If you are planning to wear the hijab to work, you may want to consider 2 things:
1. Whether it is an MNC or SME. SMEs are more flexible with outlooks
2. Whether you will have to go out and see clients, work with events and so on because there are indeed some HR which do not prefer hijab ladies to be fronting occassions as such.

Some ladies i know will speak to their bosses first before they wear the hijab into office.
I did try once but was rejected. So things like this happen.

My pre-pregnancy office days are dressed in pants, long sleeve shirts (sometimes folded up) but the hijab will be in the handbag for after office hours, though there are times it is left at home.
My husband does not emphasize on hijab. To him, akhlak first then hijab.

So in that sense I am lucky to have the huband's blessings and he leaves the decision in my hands.

xoxo

Microsoft Digigirlz

Since the day I graduated, I have always been in the IT industry.
From HP to IBM and now in Microsoft for my second year running.

I remember I did not know what I wanted to do after my 'A' Levels. Yes I was that headless chicken.
Worse, I remembered that my parents were away for Haj when I collected my results and hence I was scouting for my own school and academics pretty independently.

3 years later, I graduated in Information Systems and Management in SIM and I wondered the fate I was putting myself in.
I remembered when my choice for taking up Info Sys was not looked upon in society.
You know there were people who recognised engineers and doctors and teachers. No one understood about Information Systems.
The thing they understood was IT and back in 2001, a lot of them had the perception that Singapore already had an influx on Indian ITs.
But me being me, I just did not care.
I am not those people's kids and despite not knowing my route yet, I knew I was not going to allow myself to stray.

They saw techies as nerds which I had been since my primary school days anyway.
*lol*
But they fail to understand that I am no Tech Girl. I am just one who appreciates technology and my career mindset and direction changes along the years.

That is what I enjoy about being in the IT industry.
Everything is so fast-paced and I love change being the constant in my life.
There is always something exciting to look forward to.

Unlike the husband, I am always looking into gadgets.
Not just computer gadgets. Camera gadgets. Phone gadgets. Apps.
Things which uses the intelligence of technology to create what the world is today.

Sure I work for Microsoft and carry a Blackberry and walk around with an iPad.
While this is seemingly wrong, I enjoy identifying the technology in the world today.
Microsoft has their pros and cons, so do Blackberyy and Apple. I still walk into the Microsoft Office grasping their technology and go "Whoah!" and I do the same for other brands too.

In the recent project, I work with schools hoping to aspire girls to see the IT industry in a different light.
Today, only 20% of the girls in Singapore will consider IT as a career. Then my question will be "Why?"

Every industry in Singapore today uses technology. Why shy away?
A lot of us do not realise that it is even in our everyday lives.

I was so excited when my Director got me onboard this project. 3 months of planning and everything fell into place on the day itself!
And the survey shows that these girls left Microsoft with a more positive perspective of being in the IT industry.

Yay!

Snippets of the event:

Getting all set!



The event started as early at 8am. By 7.30am, we were running through the program again



The invitation was only open to 60 girls and it was a first RSVP, first reserved.
The turnout was actually better than we expected except that a school turn down the day before the event and I had to rush, coordinating the list again.



We had key people to introduce the technologies that they work on.
We even have a panel of speakers who made them understand what the IT industry is like.



And 75% of them do not have any IT background!
That i thought interested the students and even teachers :)









And these girls love the Kinect.
My sister and mom loves the Kinect too.
I bought a 250GB for the husband's birthday and the little sister was enjoying it more.

*lol*

We even have ambassadors for Kinect.
All they do is to master the games and showcased to our audience.
Cool job i would say :)





We had a cupcake break for the girls apart from their lunch break





Cupcake was good an awesome!
Despite me being asthmatic to colouring, I really could not resist!!

They even had the logo on it!!



I was happy the event turned out well!



The team who made it happen!



And we were the key program people! (yay!)



I was presented with a vase of flowers as at token of appreciation.
Unexpected and hugely touched!



The others were what the girls had in a goody bag.
Sponsors from Laurier and Maybelline and the best part is the customised 'Digigirlz' mouse



I love this arc mouse. Now I have 3.
In white and green and so happy to add this into the collection.

Since we kicked off pretty well, there are plans to continue this annually!
So teachers and educators, hold on for the news to reach your schools!

xoxo