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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