Designing Products For The Poor: The Unilever Way

If you have travelled to developing countries like Nepal, you will come across or see a series of colourful samples of sachets suspended in mini stores. If you haven't, these sachets are mini shampoos, mini detergents and mini stuffs that are cheaper and affordable for the majority of the population in Nepal.

In Nepal, according to Asian Development Bank, " 25.2% of the population lives below the national poverty line in 2010." Figures such as the above may vary according to the economic status of different countries.

For someone earning Rs. 100 per day, a bottle of shampoo that costs almost equal to his/her wage maybe be far from affordable but a sachet that costs Rs. 5-10 is definitely within his/her means.

Take an example from one of Unilever brands - Sunsilk. A bottle of sunsilk costs almost Rs. 100-150 whereas a sachet of sunsilk costs Rs. 5-10.

Growing up, my first encounter with this mini sachet was with, you guessed it right; it was with sunsilk sachets.

There may have been several think tanks involved in the profit and loss analysis before they decided to bring this product into the market. In doing so, they not only catered to the often ignored consumer groups but also made these basic necessities accessible to large masses of public.

I have no solid evidences to show that Unilever was the pioneer in this innovative and INCLUSIVE design but there are several written pieces that claim that Unilever was indeed behind offering these kind of products first in the market.

Companies can and should ensure that their services and products cater not only to the high-end or premium buyers but also the disadvantaged communities.

Designing products for the poor should hence, become a core of Corporate Social Responsibility for all companies. The bigger the company, the greater the responsilibity to ensure that everyone is included.

Unilever introduction of sachets proves that it is possible to serve these disadvantaged communities through innovative design while raking in profits at the same time. Although a preacher of non-violence, it is like killing two birds with a stone. Unilever experienced revenue gains but also enhanced its corporate image. Hence, someone like me wished to write about this.

Cheers for a successful post!

Gratitude 20: I am grateful that I have the preserverance to keep on moving.

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Killing your inner demons - The Ninja Style

How often do you talk to yourself? Yes, I mean with yourself. If you do, you are not mentally deluded. Researchers have found that talking with yourself increases one's well-being. On that note, self-talk can not always be beneficial. While you may find that talking with yourself to boost your confidence or to take that first step immensely positive; but often times you will also be your own victim of denial, bullying and negativitism.

Ever thought about taking a new step into your career or starting a new business but the voice says you are not capable of handling the risk and will ultimately fail. What about when you looked at yourself in the mirror and the voice told you that you are ugly and you should go and hide.

You are your own biggest critique and the bitter truth is that we can be pretty harsh on ourself for not fulfiling whatever is the status quo. Being aware of one's emotions and feelings is the first step in fighting against your inner battle. Become a ninja and join me in this epic battle to fight against these demons. Let's leave no stones unturned until every battle is won. Here, I have listed the top 6 weapons to win this battle. Would love to hear from you if there are other epic weapons.

1) Meditating

Meditation is a very powerful technique to overcome your inner negative emotions and energies transform them into positive ones. Like peak-hours traffic with constant flow of cars, our minds are filled with constant flow of thoughts. Meditation helps you to calm your mind and focus only on positive energies. Practice atleast 15 minutes a day to enjoy the benefits of meditation. The ideal time would be in the morning right before you begin your day. So, how do I start? There are plenty of resources available in the internet that will teach you the basics of meditation. Take the first step. Go on push yourself.

2)Running

Running is one form of exercise where you do not need any sort of special equipments and provides you plenty of benefits. All you need is a good pair of running shoes and you are ready for the battle. Running has been proven to reduce risks of several diseases, eliminate depressions and stimulate your hormones that improve your mood and well-being. Find an open space and put on those shoes and run for atleast 15 minutes a day.

3) Maintaining good relationships

Remember humans are social animals. So what does this imply? This implies that we need a social foundation in our life to live a meaningful and fulfilled life. Our family and friends can always be the social and moral support and guide us in times of our epic battle. But be sure to surround yourself with only people that exhibit positive aura. Another harsh truth is that often times your parents or your siblings or your close friends are the negative building blocks in yout battle. This is not to say they are your enemies but their negative aura prevents you from reaching your mindful and fulfiled self. Reach out to your favorites once in a while and update about them and about yourself and enjoy the benefits of connecting.

4) Writing a journal

Writing journal entries is one way to keep your emotions in check. There are times when it is difficult to identify your emotions and you are confused. Writing your thoughts as it flows helps you to recognise your inner desires and conflicts. Buy yourself any school notebooks or a fancy diary and prepare your pen to jot down your daily experience.

5) Listen to motivational speeches/talks

This is one of my favorite go-to weaponry for my battle. Whenever I feel down or I feel in need of motivation, I go to youtube and find myself a good motivation talk video. I mostly listen to Gary Vaynerchuck and I feel pumped after listening for a few minutes. Another local personality that I listen to once in a while is Peng Joon. You can always research and find motivational content videos that suits you.

6) Loving yourself

If you are reading this article, this means that you care about yourself. Yay for that. None of the above will work if you do not love yourself because you will not be willing to put in the effort to improve.  Love yourself; embrace yourself. You deserve the best in the world; nothing more, nothing less. Rock it!

Cheers for another successful post.

Karma

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How to know what's trending in social media?

This is my first infographic that I created and hopefully many more to come. I used piktochart to create this infographic and googled clip arts and logos that were used in this infographic.

Gratitude 20 : I am grateful that I have loving parents.

Cheers,
Karma

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The lunatic's paradise...

The lunatic is a day dreamer.
The lunatic is a wisher.
The lunatic is a procrastinator.
The lunatic is an avoider.
The lunatic is a dancer.

The RM 10 red clock atop the television ticks; warning that it is alive. It's 10.10pm. It's time to sleep.
Let's watch some tv before sleeping. Press,press that remote. Changing, changing channel.

Check time. It's 10.05 pm.

It is 10.05 pm!; time to wake up darling.

I am not confused, not as confused as you may think I am.

I forgot to mention. The lunatic is a deep thinker too. (smirk!)

I was born on 25th June,1993. Therefore, I will cease to exist on 25th June, 1993. I have exactly 24 years 130 days on this earth. I will return to where I came from.

Where did I come from? This atleast solves the chicken and the egg problem - What came first the chicken or the egg?

The only thing that is certain in life is your birth and your death.

What is uncertain remains uncertain whether the clock ticks forward or backward?

Should I be looking forward or backward for my life? What should I expect? Expect death.

The autumn becomes summer, summer becomes winter and my clothes get smaller and smaller.

My parents get younger and younger. How fortunate of me to witness this miracle? (Giggle!).

I have no longer butteflies for my crush. My awareness, my selfness is fading away.

My body is unable to fulfil my demands.

I am no longer me.

The lunatic's paradise is a paradise of appreciation, paradise of consciousness.

Cheers for another successful post!
Regards,
Karma

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Perseverance- The Story of Greatness

I listen to Gary Vaynerchuck once in a while. He is the owner of Vayner media and also produces amazing video contents that are educational and inspirational. These videos are easily available in youtube. His contents are filled with obscene words but it rings very hard inside me cause you can resonate with what he says very well. Watch one of his vidoes below:-

His story to success is what particularly interestes me. His family emigrated to USA when he was three years old. His father had a shop that sold wines. He eventually realized the power of digital marketing/media and tried his hands on youtube. Following is his youtube videos from his earlier years.

Views, likes and subscription are the ulitmate currencies in youtube. His earlier videos only had 88k views and 24k subscribers whereas his later videos has 1.4m views and 913k subscribers. Well, 88k views and 24k subscribers are definitely not something that are to be taken lightly but the sheer difference between the earlier and later videos clearly stands out.

It is quite easy to start something once you know what you want to do but the most challenging part is continuing the journey when the results are often very slow and takes a long time. There is a very popular common disease these days called "Instant Gratification" meaning that we expect results very early. This is the reason why if you look at the frequency with which I have published my posts, they clearly show that I also suffer from this disease. 

I posted my first blog post "Namaste". I was filled with excitement and burning passion then which ultimately died after cold reaction. I do not know if people are reading my blog but these days I feel renewed and re-energised wanting me to continue this hustle.

I wish to be a writer who is able to produce creative contents that adds value to people's lives. I hope someday while I continue to hustle and ultimately become a successful writer, I will look upon these blog posts and reflect on my journey and know where it all started.

My friend, tell me about your hustle. Is it on?

Gratitude 19: I am grateful that I got the job that I was looking for.

Have a good day,

Regards,

Karma

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Secret Superstar

I watched a bollywood (Indian) movie called "Secret Superstar" a few days back. The production house that produced the movie is one of my favorite bollywood actors, Amir Khan. His movies are phenomenal. He stars only in a few movies each year and each of his movies are always box-office hit. Although I do not like to watch movies but I do not mind going to cinema halls to watch his movies.

"Secret Superstar"is a movie about a teenage girl who is very talented in singing and has a dream of becoming a singer. Her journey to becoming a star is unfortunately shattered when her father gets a job in Riyadh and decides to get her married. While her father is very against her singing, her mother is very supportive. The film also showcases the brutality of domestic voilence. These scenes are protrayed by the girl's father and mother. The strength and determination of the girl gives her mother courage to stand up against her abusive father. At the end of the movie, the girl is finally able to achiever her dream of becoming a celebrity singer.

Are you a secret superstar?

Movies are movies and they are not reality. While watching the movie one may feel motivated but when they walk out of that cinema hall, the reality dwans upon them. They say,"Stop being foolish. You cannot do it." There are always thousands of excuses that will go through your mind as to why you are incapable. Sometimes I think our brain is wired to prevent us from going beyond our limit. Are we scared of the impossible or are we scared of achieving the impossible? Tame this mind of yours and tell it to "Shut up" cause you know your game and your game is to go for your "Secret Superstar".

So I will ask you again. Are you a secret superstar?

Gratitude 18: I am grateful for the food I eat.

P/s Here is the link to the trailer of the movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_yb8HORges

Cheers for another successful post!
Karma

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When was the last time you failed?

I am in Nepal after 1 long year of absence and will be here for 3 months. I wanted to do something meaningful within these 3 months and so I decided to volunteer as a teacher in an NGO in my community. 

I am currently teaching two kids who are very weak in their studies. These are kids from disadvantaged families and come from remote parts of Nepal where you will often find poor facilities as well as lackadaisical human resources.

While teaching I always encourage the kids to try and not worry about being wrong. I wonder how far is this notion tolerated in the current education system. It certainly doesn't only apply to the education system but also to our society. Do we punish others and also ourselves for any mistakes/failures?

When was the last time you made a mistake or failed? How did you deal with this?

The last time I failed was for an interview for a very coveted job position. It was something that I was desperately looking forward for. Unfortunately, I didn't clear the first stage. I was definitely sad for the first few hours after receiving the email about my failure. I thought I had delivered and presented myself very well in the interview and yet I didn't make the cut so I constantly asked myself questions about any improvements that I could make to increase my chance of success in my next interview. I used my this experience as a learning for my upcoming interview and was able to get an offer. It was exactly what I was looking for.

"Fall Seven Times, Stand Up Eight."

So I will ask you again. When was the last time you failed? 

Gratitude 17: I am grateful for the education that I have received.

P/s : Here is the link to the NGO that I am currently volunteering at
https://www.facebook.com/Manang-pre-school-free-for-disadvantage-children-1914771522128095/?hc_ref=ARRZQip0hoPF4gXgFw4ftdXmNXbkgeinkBcvldl0kVv3PfSWdlAWSJPZwQWYg-6g62Q&fref=nf

Cheers for another successful post!

Regards,
Karma

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Learn a new language if you want to change your life....

I often go to a supermarket called Giant that is very near to the vicinity where I stay. Because of economic development and geographic location, you will often find a huge influx of migrants from different parts of the world in Malaysia.

The supermarket that I often go to also has a lot of migrants working there. While I was queuing for my fruits to be wieghed, there was this particular gentleman infront of me. He was talking to the man weighing the fruits and vegetables of the customers and I overheard him saying, "If you want to change your life and have a better life, learn a new language." The man behind the scale just smirked.

Well, what are the chances that if he did learn a language, he would be able to change his situation? I believe that when you feel a need for a change from the inside and when your actions are aligned to change it, the world will align you to be able to achieve your dreams. My friend, that need of change needs to come from inside; always remember that. You can view thousands of motivational videos, listen to a lot of different social media coaches; but if you do not feel the need or are not desperate enough to achieve whatever you want or to change your situation, you will never get there.

This was a short post from me. Please expect more from me.

Cheers,
Karma

Gratitude 16: I am grateful that I am with my family after so long.

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The Next Door Neighbors

NEIGHBOR 1
I am in my kitchen preparing my dinner and lunch for tomorrow. Since I barely started working, I want to save money from my lunch expenses. The kid next door starts singing in a popular tune. I think he is not bad. After a while, I start to hum along of course to myself. These days I hardly hear him sing nor hear the blast of the pop songs from the next door. I wonder what's he been up to.

NEIGHBOR 2
It's new year. Happy new year 2017! While I was about to leave my room to celebrate the new year, my fren called me to say that there has been a change of plan. We will not be going to KLCC for the countdown but instead be spending the time at a fren's place and invited me to join them. Feeling dejected, I prepare to welcome new year with my fried nuggets and home made french fries. It's only 10 minutes to 12:00 am. I hear honks being honker-ed by an enthusiast. He doesn't plan to let anyone sleep. The clock has finally struck the new year card and the honker becomes even more enthusiastic. I feel tensed, warm and a slight chill. It's 2017 and I know I should make everyday count.

NEIGHBOR 3
It's 2pm. I can't fall asleep. My source of insomnia is from a couple arguing next doors or some floors above. They communicate in some foreign language which I cannot decipher. The argument gets more and more intense. I feel my heart pounding and I am a little terrified. Just like a switch, it cedes suddenly and I am slowly drifting to the lulaby land.

 Gratitude 15: I am thankful that I can have a fresh start with a healthy and peaceful mind and body.

Thanks for dropping by!

Leave a comment if you wanna hear more from me.

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10 tips to overcome the FINAL SEMESTER of your university life

I have certainly not read nor seen anyone writing on the above topic. I am almost done with my studies, waiting for my final exam. How I wish there was someone who could advise me the do's and dont's of the most critical period of my university life.

I had a a very difficult time to find internship placement. When looking back, I feel that I might have missed some major opportunities. Its disappointing but definitely not at all worth repeating. 

So here I present to you 10 tips to overcome the FINAL SEMESTER of your university life:-

1) Decide ahead which industry you would like to enter into. Learn about the industries and choose the company from the industry you would like to work.

2) If possible try to connect with any of the professionals working in the company. A little insider information and referral wouldn't hurt at all infact, it would be most desirable pain in the world.

3) For some final years, you would need to complete your final year project. I had to. It's crucially important for you to manage your time. I know its easy to say. Trust me on this, you will really need this.

4) Connecting back to no. 3, you will also be busy looking for internship and receiving request for interviews and such. So it makes even more important for you to manage your time.

5) Now you are about to finish/ have finished. What's next? "I don't know" Jangan la risau! Don't worry my dears. Steve Jobs once said " You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in the future." So keep looking, keep trying, keep failing and never give up.

6) Learn to manage your expenses. Most of those who will do their internship in their hometown will not really have to worry about this. But those who will be doing their internship in areas like KL need to face the heavy lash back of the high cost of living especially when you are an intern and your allowance is very low. So plan ahead. You do not want to burden your family, do you? 

7) Share your experiences with your juniors. You were once just like them. Be their mentors and guide them to right path and support them. Karma will make sure you get what you give! ;)

8) Leave all your enmity, hatred behind and extend your hand of friendship. This will probably be the last time you will be seeing them around.

 9) Do not forget to thank your lecturers and mentors. Go and say your farewell. Even better if you can prepare small gifts for them. They will be your strongest supporters and life long connections for many years to come.

10) Lastly, do not stress out and make sure you are happy and healthy. Take care of yourself. You are also just as important as all those above points.

Cheers for quick post!

Good day!

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When was the last day you had fun?

I went to a beach side, a place called Rompin about 1 hour from where I live, with my friends and lecturer on a typical weekend. The place is famous for the fish shown in the picture. I do not know the name of the fish.

Ohh! The weather was just perfect and I couldn't have been happier. When I look at the sea, I am intrigued by the infinite horizon yet somehow it presents a hope that there may be, just may be something waiting far beyond yonder.

Coming from a landlocked country, I really enjoy strolling around beaches and feeling the rush of waves under my feet.

The last time I had fun was, I do not remember. I think I have been too occupied with "matters of consequences" that I have just forgotten how to have fun. When was the last time you had fun; when you had been really really happy?

What kind of foot-mark are you going to leave behind?

My happy weekend ended here!

Gratitude 14: I am grateful that I am surrounded with peace and tranquility.

Cheers for another successful post!

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MANANG, The Land of Spiritual Enlightenment

My uncle sent me some awesome pictures and video  from his recent trip to Manang. For those who haven't read my second post "Roots", Manang is my hometown. It's a beautiful place filled with vibrant nature, culturally rich and  friendly hosts.

Although, I have been there only once but I absolutely loved the experience. We hiked for 3 days and finally reached the headquarter of Manang also known as Chame. Its a very cold and windy place and one can easily get sun burnt.

I hope to go there again!

Here is a short video!

Gratitude 13: I am grateful that I belong to a place filled with nature, culture and history.

Cheers!

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Karma's moment with Taxi Driver

Each wo/man is an island. I read that in some books by whom I don't remember.

Millions of people walk on this earth. 7 billion people and counting. We all have our own story, don't we? They make us, break us, free us, torture us, enlighten us, refresh us...

Since we are all different, these stories that form us are different too. I feel that when you combine each of these stories they give birth to the so called  life.

It's always been fascinating for me to know the story of each person that I come across. Getting to know that story means stepping out of the comfort zone and actually starting a conversation. If you have read my personal history, you would easily identify me with 'INTROVERT', although I think I have changed quite substantially.

I would like to share one of my story today. Nothing big but definitely something meaningful.

I visited a very close friend of mine a few days ago in Malacca, a state in Malaysia. It's a 4 hour bus ride from where I live. The place where I live is  a place completely remote and basically lifeless during weekends and holidays.

We wanted to go and watch a movie  'The last witch hunter'. We don't own a car neither do we drive. We were waiting at the bus stop for few minutes when a taxi pulled over and gesturing with his finger says 4. Well, taxis in Malacca are a bit very expensive and we are always weary of riding one cause it burns a big hole in our pocket. I told the taxi driver that we wanted to go to Dataran Pahlawan. He said that would cost Rm 6 each. If we took the bus it would cost Rm 4 each. So I told him that it's ok but my friend quickly interjected and said that was a good bargain considering the fact that we had to change the bus twice.

When I got on the taxi, the taxi driver quickly with his heavy breath told me that any people with a good common sense would jump at the opportunity. Considering that I didn't, I think it was meant to piss me off/ mock me. So I told him that I didn't have any common sense. At this, he went quite hot and uneasy. I felt like this was how one progresses into an argument in the grown up world. 

I told him that I was new in the area. He said that it doesn't matter whether I was new or not and I should have known that it was a good logical decisions to accept his proposal.

At this moment I felt like this man is either engulfed with arrogance or  is something more than just a taxi driver as he exhibited a great sense of self-pride. The latter proved to be true.

He went on about his journey into different countries and even went as far as to show his several used passports. I was like why is he going around carrying his passports. His showing us the passport was to prove that whatever he was talking wasn't a bluff.

He was a specialist, I do not exactly know what kind but he was a speicalist in oil and gas industry and is currently employed under Petronas, the only Malaysian company in the Fortune 500 companies.  What I know is that people working in the oil fields make a lot of money so there is no need for one with a full time job in it to be driving a taxi.

He said driving taxi was just a gig he does during his weekends. Well, I know that the decline in oil prices has severely hit many oil and gas companies so could it be ...? Let's not judge, shall we? That's what I told myself.

Here I had this great opportunity to learn from this person in an industry that I am considering to be a part of after graduation. So I just couldn't let it slip. The rest of the time just flew as we exchanged back and forth. He gave me quick responses to all my inquiries.

I infact felt that he slowed his speed a bit.

Rough start but a smooth finish. When we reached the mall, he looked at me as if to really look at who this girl is that he has been talking for the past few minutes. He made some very grown up rumble about being safe and taking care of our belongings.

Although, this encounter may not seem much but it made me smile the whole day. I was glad to have come across him and I hope he did too. Hehe! (' u ')

I feel that I have definitely been able to overcome my shyness of having an actual conversations with someone I do not know.
I feel that I have so many people to meet and so many things to learn.

I hope he realizes that I was able to gain/receive these from our encounter.

Gratitude 12: I am grateful that I came across him and wish him health, fortune and happiness. Gracias' till we meet again.

Cheers for a very late and successful post!

Karma

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Love, Karma

Its been quite sometime since I last posted cause I had been busy with my exams and I am currently participating in a competition which is presently occupying much of my time. The grand prize has lots of cash involved so do pray for me. I had almost completely forgotten about my blog but one of my juniors sent me a fb text requesting me to update. Now well, I thought that pretty much my blog posts were invisible to the world but I am glad that there is at least someone who enjoys it. Please keep on supporting me. <3 Khin <3.

Although I have completely shut off myself in my own tiny world, I managed to finish a book. The book is called  Love, Rosie by Ceclia Ahern. I loved her book P.S I love you and have been following her with some of her other books. I found Love, Rosie quite uninteresting unlike P.S I love you but the book had definitely lot of substance to be taken in parcel especially when a person like myself is in a threshold of entering into a new phase. 

The protagonist of the novel is Rosie Dunne. The book is about how her life evolves from her one mistake when she was eighteen (she becomes pregnant) and how it unfolds one event after another that leaves her broke, divorced, single, lonely and severely depressed. However, with each blow, she strives further and  moves on. When she finally reaches her fifty's she is able to be together with the love of her life, her best friend since age six, Dr. Alex Stewart and is able to achieve her dream of owning and managing her own hotel.

It helped me to put my life in a perspective of how it should be. Although it will never be the way I plan it but I at least have a vision of how I want to be when I reach a particular phase of my life. I have epiphanies once in a while. When I have them, I stand where I am and realize how I always wanted and wished to be standing at the same position years before. Well, it has certainly made me believe that when you long for something and work for it, you will always exactly find having those epiphanies. So dream big, Karma.

Well, you must be thinking the name of this blog posts is similar to that of the book. There is a reason behind it. The book is unique; it doesn't follow the traditional writing style. The book is a compilation of all the emails, letter and electronic messages that are relayed between the protagonist and all the people in her life.

So I thought why not write a message from my present self to my future self.

From Present Karma

To Future Karma

Date: 10/10/2015

I hope you continue to aim moon and stars and never stop, never give up. I hope you travel and meet lots of people. I hope you take every meetings, every incidents, every experience as a learning take away. I hope you savor every moment of life, live the present moment. I hope you give, spread love and hopefully love will be filled in abundance into your life. I hope you live a healthy life and in all this never forget your parents and your family.

I will always love you no matter what cause you are beautiful.

Love,
Karma

I think writing to yourself is always a great way to inspire yourself. Its like a sort of promise to yourself and a self-check mechanism so that you dun linger away from your true self.
Try writing to yourself. One day, when you read it, may be something will stirr inside you.
 

Me with children reading stories together.

Gratitude 11: I am grateful that I had wonderful memories with the children doing what I love, Reading Stories. YAY!

Cheers for another successful post!

Karma

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Karma - What goes around, comes around!

Be good, do good, see good, hear good and good will follow you. Define good!

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10**** ways to make world a better place!

I am facing quite a few problems lately and it's just too overwhelming for me. Someone like me hardly moans when I have problems. I feel like I am a bit emotionally down because of some people I thought were friends but instead turned out to be liars and backstabbers.

I was trying to find a way for myself to cheer up. When I am under emotional stress, I try to look for inspiring videos in YouTube, for instance, videos about kindness, humanity, courage, helping. Although, it may not help you solve your problems but I always find myself feeling better than I felt before.

I also try not to victimize myself. In that way, I won't play the blame game.

I can't advise people to cheer up and talk about all the goodness and happiness in the world when they are going through a rough time. I acknowledge that it takes time to heal and if you feel like crying or you need some time then just do it. However, it should be for only a limited period of time. Take those resting time to reflect and to find peace within yourself. It might take 30 minutes or 4 days or 1 month. Well, it works for me.

Although my topic is about making world a better place, I am not going to share with you any thing about it because you can find tons of those information if you just google it. But I want you to realize that the number 10****  doesn't always have to be 10. If you google about "Making world a better place" , the results will show "7 ways to make the world a better place or 10 ways...". There are not just 7 or 10 ways but millions of ways to help people and make this world a better place. 

Why do I need to make the world a better place? What do I get out of it? Why should I bother about people when I have problems myself? Why? Why? Why?

I believe in the interdependence concept by Dalai Lama. In his talks, he emphasizes on this a lot of times. He says we are all interconnected to each other therefore, any harm or good you do to others will always influence you.

I came across a book called "Five people you meet in heaven " by Mitch Albom and it has been one of my favorite books ever since. The book is centered around a character, Eddie who dies in an accident and finds himself in heaven. All his life time in earth, he had the why? how? when? what? events that had left him sober and unhappy. The heaven reveals his life one fold at a time through the people he met and did not meet in his lifetime.

After reading the book, I realized that we are all in fact deeply related. One of the people Eddie meets is a Blue Man. The man has his own share of sorrows and griefs. One day while driving his car, young Eddie bounces to the road to retrieve his ball. The blue man gets into an accident while trying to swerve his car to prevent hitting Eddie and as a result dies. Eddie never knew that a man had died while trying to save his life. 

Probably, we may have influenced someone's life, positively or negatively  but we are not aware of/about it.

I imagine a magical string being attached to each other and that a magical force determines who we meet in our life, how we come across friends, partners, boss, employees, mentors and how we evolve, live our life and finally rest in peace. My favorite quote from the book :-

" Each affects the other and the other affects the next and the world is full of stories, but the stories are all one" - Five people you meet in heaven

 Another favorite quote of mine.

Gratitude 10: I feel grateful for all the meaningful friends, family, mentors and well wishers I have in my life.

Cheers! Have a good day!

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Happiness is when...

...when unwashed spongebob loves my nail colour.

...when I see the word "Nepali" in a foreign land.

 

...when I dare myself to do something I am scared of.

...when I get first prize.

 

 ...when I get to study my favorite courses.

...when  my table is filled with lots of color.

 

...when I get to eat delicious food. 

 

...when I go through my scrapbooks. 

 

...when I fulfill my goals. 

 

...when I read. (It's Murakami's book, 1Q84)

 

...when I buy a book, cover it with a plastic protection sheet and write my name on the first page of the book. 

 

...when I eat pickled tea called "laphet" (it's a traditional snack dish from Myanmar)

What is happiness for you?? :)

Gratitude 8: I am grateful that I have a lot of things to be happy about.

Cheers!

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Photoblog :- Selamat AidilFitri!

The best thing about open houses are the cute little takeaways!

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Graduate Scholarship for Nepali Students 2016

Since I am about to finish my undergraduate very soon, I am looking for some scholarship opportunity. I came across some and I would like to share three that I have come across.

First is the Chevenig Scholarship funded by Foreign and Commonwealth Office (UK) and partner organizations. This scholarship covers your tuition fees, accommodation, books and some few other expenses. It also covers a monthly allowance. However, the scholarship is for a duration of only one year. So, basically, if your desired graduate programme is  for more than 1 year, you will have to pay for the extra period of study from your own pocket. This is where it got me to a lot of thinking.

If you are selected as one of the recipients, you can choose to study in any partner universities. This scholarship is not meant for only Nepali nationality. Students from other nationalities can also apply. Please check the list of eligible countries from their official website. 

One of the main requirement for this scholarship is that you are required to have some years of working experience if you wish to apply for the scholarship.

This is just a snapshot. You can get extra information by following the link http://www.chevening.org/nepal

Second is the Mingma Norbu Sherpa Memorial Scholarship 2016-2017 offered by Lincoln University, New Zealand (and supported by WWF, Greater Himalayas Foundation USA and Outward Bound New Zealand). The scholarship is for students who wish to pursue their Masters  in the fields of natural resource management, tourism and the environment. The deadline  for applications is 31 August, 2015.

If you wish to know more, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Third is from University of Oregon who are offering  full tuition scholarship for students from Nepal as a part of its global engagement to help rebuild Nepal  after the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

The scholarship is for both graduate or undergraduate student, in a field of study that the university believes will contribute to the reconstruction needs of Nepal.

Gratitude no. 7: I am grateful that I was able to get a scholarship for my studies.

Cheers!

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Net+working: How for students!

Well, I guess many of those, mostly in their final year undergraduates or fresh graduates like me must have read or been advised how networking can help you secure a place in the company that you really long for. 

When someone advised me about it, I was like, I know what networking is and how important it is but how do we do it? I am not really that outgoing and extroverted so for people like me it really sounds like a huge challenge like the Amazing Race that I used to watch in AxN. 

We can find a lot of do's and dont's about networking in the internet but the problem is they are rarely written in perspective of students like me. This post may not be relevant for those who are already skillful in this area but many people who identify themselves as introverts and ambiverts have hard time when it comes to socializing.

The same person who advised first to me about networking shared with me some pretty confidence boosting message. She said that most of us who are afraid to go out and approach people have this inferiority complex, that is we feel that the person who we are approaching to are not normal humans but super humans with extraordinary capabilities and power. So she then said how about viewing the other person as someone like you and me, experienced the same things and gone through the same journey.

This has definitely helped me a lot and I am a lot more confident now when I approach people.

I have been trying to join a lot of events outside campus since you can't be expecting people to come to you and ask about you and be like "I really like you and I want you to work for me". We have to create opportunity so that we can meet a lot of people that can open the right doors for us.

 I recently went for a career fair in Kuala Lumpur. I talked to a lot of staffs who were representing their companies and I did pass around a lot of CV's. Although, I didn't hear from any of the companies but I think it was a good investment because it helped me not to be afraid to ask, to talk to people. I feel like I am growing. That's yahoo for me. I love myself for that matter.

Well, we are students and we are always on a tight budget so spending on things such as networking events, books, conferences may not sound fun or right. I like to take it as a long term investment and therefore, like any long-term investments, the returns may not be quick but they are always high that other investments.

So, don't be stingy to spend what's good for you or even if you don't have any money to spend , borrow from your parents, friends or well-wishers but make sure to pay them back.

Gratitude no. 6: I am grateful that I have a smartphone and a laptop and most of all 24 hr connection to wifi.

Cheers!

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