Reminiscing the good old days

Teks : Nik Nurul Hana binti Hanafi


It is late evening and it is raining here in KL. I suddenly felt hungry but I didn't want to ruin my appetite for dinner. So I made myself a hot instant mocha instead. The first sip reminded me of my childhood ; not that I drank coffee when I was a small kid hehe; the dark and gloomy weather kinda give a good setting and mood of old memories. I remembered vividly that those days were full of fun, laughters and crazy activities. I started making crafts all by myself at a very young age (maybe 8). I made Mother's Day gift by simply sewing letters and put them in a frame. At 10, I sewed clothes for my dolls, made them houses from boxes complete with furnitures and curtains too. I did it all by myself because I want to and because I love to. I got the inspiration from an Encyclopaedia my father bought me. The Encyclopaedia is No. 4 out of 26 I guess. Sadly that's the only number that went missing until today. I suspected someone has taken it (or stole it from me!) as some kids back home really liked what I have made. I was so sad and angry, because the book was one of my favourite. Just because my parents bought books very regularly and our house is filled with so many books, that doesn't mean someone can steal it,right?. Our family members are all book-lovers. Most of the books were still nicely kept until today including all those books with missing pages and those with 'artwork' from siblings who just learned how to draw.   

I developed the love of reading from my father. He always bring us to the local book store and gave us one hour to mingle around. That means we were free to choose any books we like. Price was never an issue to him when it comes to books, but twenty-years ago as a kid, a book worth RM20 was very expensive to me. Furthermore, books back then were quite cheap. I remembered getting a very good kids' novel for less RM10. I love all my books, I still have them until now in the library at my parents' house. Because I love reading so much, I was quite excellent in Penulisan (Essay). I love to write too. I used to write short stories (cerpen) and exchanged them with classmates weekly. It was so much fun, and now I believe exchanging stories has elevate to new stage, that is blogging :).

I was a little girl with a lot of hobbies and passions. I love to sew, read, write, draw, paint, make craft and everything that involves designing or creating something. I have been making handmade cards for birthdays and occasions for family and even sold them at school. I did them all because I love doing them and I felt that handmade items were specially made with heart with that little personal touch and thoughts. 

I grew up to leave all the hobbies and passions behind. Why? Simply because I don't have the luxury of time and simply because being an adult requires more of me. I still believe these hobbies will keep me sane, and I found my little happiness just by thinking of them. That explained the spilling DIY pins in my Pinterest account! Today I have decided I will do at least one water-colour painting monthly. I must make an effort although I realized my skills has become rusty. I must sketch or doodle at least once a month too (I think this is the hardest of all). My sketch has become too 'technical' and looking too 'architectural'. Hey what else could they be, I am an architect! hehe.

So I will end this post here while I plan what water colour brand and how many brushes I'm gonna need. Hopefully this will be a turning point of new me. They said first time is the hardest, but without first time there won't be the second or even 100th! Cheers!

         

Motivation & Bath

Teks : Nik Nurul Hana binti Hanafi


So I went blogwalking in search for some 'lift-me-up' vibes and now I think I felt better than this morning. I have extensive of motivation quotes in my Pinterest but nothing seems to attract me. I think I need 'real people' with 'real' positivity to help me cope. Thank God for giving me the ideas. After all, He is the One who helped me. I have this quote on my working table which sounds 

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going"

Not sure who said it but it is true. I am a person who need continuous motivation to stay focused and energized. I think people who can stay focus without much motivation,and even give motivation to others are truly blessed and gifted. What motivates you? Will get back soon after I finish up my tasks!

Image from Google

Hesitation

Teks : Nik Nurul Hana binti Hanafi


Just when I thought I am all geared up for the new phase of my life, I suddenly felt hopeless. Questions like : 'What if it doesn't work out?' 'What if this is actually a bad decision?' 'What will people think of me when I fail?'; kept on bombarding my head that I eventually felt tired looking for the answers. I realised I am on this 'ship' all by myself (with the help of the Creator of course) and I am freaking afraid that I am not strong enough to face the storm or strong wind or maybe giant squid! (Okay, too much imagination there). 

But the point is all these hesitations and questions will not arise if I have ALL things nicely planned. Am I really prepared for this journey? Another question I need to answer. Meanwhile I think I have to step back and take a deep breath; breath in the good vibes and good energy while breathing out all the negative thoughts and those pesky questions!

Langkah pertama

Teks : Nik Nurul Hana binti Hanafi


Alhamdulillah. Setelah agak lama merangka dan berkira-kira, akhirnya saya mengambil keputusan untuk melangkah keluar dari zon selesa saya. Zon selesa yang saya maksudkan ialah rutin harian saya iaitu keluar bekerja pagi dan pulang petang dan menunggu gaji pada hujung bulan. Hampir 5 tahun bekerja di sektor swasta, saya seakan sudah sebati dengan tekanan dan cabaran tugasan kerja sebagai seorang arkitek. Alhamdulillah dari pengalaman terdahulu, kini saya sudah boleh mengawal tekanan dan masih boleh tersenyum dan bergurau senda dengan rakan pejabat mahupun dengan ahli keluarga setelah pulang ke rumah. Saya sudah jarang stres dengan kerja pejabat kerana berjaya mengawalnya dengan cara tersendiri. Saya mengambil langkah take it easy. Namun tanpa tekanan saya jadi selesa sehingga kadangkala melupakan seketika impian yang telah dirancang suatu ketika dulu. 

Dan hari ini, dengan izin-Nya, saya akan mula berkarya dan berkongsi input berkaitan bidang yang saya minati dan kebolehan yang Allah kurniakan kepada saya. Bukan mudah untuk melakukan perkara yang belum pernah dilakukan. Apatah lagi jika terdapat halangan dan cabaran di tengah jalan. Sudah pasti jiwa yang ragu-ragu dan goyah akan patah. Saya berharap saya akan kuat semangat. Harap-harap quote di bawah ni dapat jadi perangsang :

a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Nampaknya saya perlu cari jalan untuk mengawal cabaran baru ini. Doakan saya kuat, konsisten dan istiqamah!

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Teks : Nik Nurul Hana binti Hanafi


5 tahun membina kerjaya di sektor swasta sebagai seorang arkitek membuatkan saya seakan sebati dengan cabarannya. Saya seakan lupa dengan cita-cita asal hinggalah pada suatu hari saya terdetik, sampai bila mahu begini. Impian ingin bekerja sendiri tetapi langsung tidak membuat persediaan ke arah itu. Kesibukan kerja di pejabat dan kerja di rumah membuatkan saya hampir terlupa pada long term goals yang dicoretkan dan dicita-citakan sejak dari zaman belajar lagi. Kadangkala saya tertawa melihat coretan sendiri dan bertanya “Kenapa cita-cita aku ni banyak sangat. Susah nak capai semuanya”. Saya tertawa lagi, “Eh, belum berperang lagi sudah putus asa. Kalau begini, tak payah memasang cita-citalah”. Syukur saya tidak terus putus asa dengan cita-cita yang kadangkala saya sendiri ragu-ragu dengan kemampuan untuk mencapainya.

Lantaran dari detikan hati, saya mula mengatur strategi untuk melangkah. Saya perlu dapatkan nasihat dan tunjuk ajar, jika tidak saya pasti terumbang-ambing dalam angan-angan sendiri. Saya menghubungi Puan Kharunnnisa Hamzah, senior saya ketika belajar senibina di UTM dulu. Beliau merupakan seorang Work-At-Home-Mom atau singkatannya WAHM yang telah menempa nama setelah meninggalkan alam pekerjaan sebagai arkitek di jabatan kerajaan. Dari situ beliau mencadangkan saya mengikuti Bengkel BrandingYourself and Business Strategies yang beliau anjurkan, dan akan membantu meleraikan segala persoalan dan kekeliruan saya. ‘Perjalanan’ itu saya lihat sungguh mudah. Allah telah memudahkannya untuk saya, setelah memohon petunjuk dan mengadu pada-Nya berhari-hari lamanya.

Bengkel yang berlangsung sehari suntuk itu banyak membuka mata saya tentang ke mana hala tuju saya seterusnya dan apa langkah pertama yang harus saya lakukan. Bila disebut bisnes sahaja, orang beranggapan mesti berhenti kerja. Bukan. Langkah pertama ialah branding. Tanpa branding, orang tidak akan kenal siapa kita dan apa produk kita. Tanpa branding, produk yang bagus pun orang tidak akan beli. Dengarnya begitu senang namun jika dikupas mendalam ia sebenarnya agak rumit bagi saya dan memerlukan ilmu dan persediaan yang rapi. Saya mendoakan Allah memberi ilham kepada saya jalan yang terbaik buat saya, keluarga dan agama. Semoga Dia terus memberkahi setiap langkah. Semoga diri sentiasa cekal dan tabah. Semoga jauh dari prasangka dan perkara yang tidak munasabah.