Sakura in Thailand

Sakura flowers🌸🌸 are well known in Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan. They only bloom between early April till mid May every year depends on the location. I havent got the chance to visit any of that country to witness the beauty of sakura and the culture it brings. However i am blessed to be able to join a team that found a new place to enjoy sakura viewing. It's in north part of Thailand under Pethchabun province. Yes, Thailand! 

It's always been a dream for me to meet Sakura flowers. When i found the team hosting a trip to Pethchabun, i did not waste my time and asked them about the trip. It was about 3 months before the actual date and i confirmed to join their trip even though i'm anxious about going with agent and more than 10 people in a group.

On 27th Jan 2017 i'm ready and met the host at TBS station to take our 1st transport to Bukit Kayu Hitam. Because its CNY holiday we have to take bus since flight is too expensive to cater all group member. I'm still anxious because i did not know anyone but they seem nice. After about 8 hours in the bus, we finally reached Bkt Katu Hitam to get our passport checked and get our 2nd transport. We also met other members from different state who join the trip. So we got in total of 28 members and took 3 vans that will take us on the journey.

Our 1st point is the Phu Tub Berk mountain in Petchabun to view the sunset. But we did not get the chance to view it since there's a delay in our journey. So we just take rest and have dinner, enjoy the night view from that mountain. Alhamdulillah, Subhanallah Allah allowed me to witness his power in nature. It was a breathtaking moment when i saw how beautiful stars shines up in the sky above us without any light pollution. It's felt like the star is within my reach, so near so bright so powerful. Tears flowing as a sign of feeling blessed.

Then, early morning at about 5.30am we are all ready to catch our sunrise near the mountain and went there with pick up trucks provided by the local community called Hmong people.
Again, the sunrise view was breathtaking. It really worth the climb and waiting. Then, the moment that i've been waiting, sakura!

We then moved to another site to view sakura flower. The whole mountain was covered with pink😍. Im so lucky because sakura 🌸really bloom  during that week and it so pretty.

It's pink, soft and magical for me. It's petal is so soft and delicate. It has mild fragrant but still catch your smelling sense. The pink color pigment are so pretty and some are lighter or brighter. The climate there really suitable for sakura. Some said that   sakura in Thailand are from Wild Himalayan species.
I did not see any different from what Japan or Korea have. My tourmate said that it is at par with what Japan or Korea have.

It's a good move for Hmong people to change their routine of a vegetable farmer into a new travel industry. They have a community that take care of their land and control the incoming tourist.

As far that we know, we are the first group from Malaysia ever reach their village since they open to public. They want to develop the travel industry there but they do not want to make it commercial. You can only use their transport to go to the sakura park. Each villager are allowed to open 5 room to tourist in their own house. And we stayed in 1 of the villager house as well. Beside managing sakura park, farming is their main focus since sakura season only last for about 2 months. They grow cabbage, corn, strawberry, straw flowers, rice and many more. They also have small market for tourist to buy their produce. It's almost looks like Cameron Highland before it became too commercial.

I hope big industry player will respect their community.

Let's aporeciate what we have.

Love🌸🌸
Shakila

Cuti Sabbatical

Dalam dunia pekerjaan ni setiap pekerja diberikan cuti sebagai faedah. Antara cuti yang terkenal ialah cuti tahunan, cuti sakit, cuti bencana, cuti melahirkan anak atau cuti mendapat anak. Ada 1 lagi cuti yang tak ramai tahu iaitu cuti Sabbatical (tak tau bahasa melayunye ape..). Jom nak kongsi sikit pasal cuti Sabbatical ni.

Definisi: Cuti sebulan dengan gaji (lebih kurang 20 hari bekerja).

Asal : Budaya kerja syarikat dari Amerika 

Syarat : Pekerja mestilah bekerja selama 5 tahun berturut 

Tempoh : 1 tahun dan jika tidak diambil dalam masa 1 tahun cuti ni akan terbatal.

Cuti sabbatical ni untuk menghargai pekerja dan supaya pekerja dapat berehat dari kesibukan kerja untuk melalukan sesuatu yang mereka suka.

Aku layak amik cuti ni dari bulan Feb 2016 sampai Feb 2017. So aku pilih bulan Feb 2017 untuk gunakan cuti ni. Aku keja dengan PayPal sebuah syarikat kewangan atas talian dan aku boleh tambah maksimum 10 hari dari cuti tahunan campur cuti sabbatical. So aku pilih untuk tambah 5 hari, dan sebab ade 3 hari cuti umum, dapatlah total cuti dalam 35 hari. 

Banyak sangat yang aku nak buat masa ni. Fokus utama ialah nak buat bende2 yang aku suka, membaiki hubungan aku dengan Allah dan merapatkan silatutrahim dengan keluarga dan kwn2. Aku pilih Utara Thailand untuk bercuti dengan orang yang aku tak kenal, ke Kelantan dengan mak dan adik pastu ke Sabah dengan suami. Aku nak melawat mak mentua dan luangkan masa dgn dia. Aku mengajar bahasa inggeris dan belajar menjahit. Aku belajar memasak untuk catering jugak dari mak aku. Dan luangkan masa dengan kawan2 lama. 

Tak kisah apa yg kita nk buat asalkan kita penuhi cuti ni dengan benda yg berfaedah, dapat berehat dan menjaga kesihatan. Aku happy sangat dengan ape yg aku pilih untuk penuhi masa cuti ni walaupon mungkin tak seglamer org lain. Tp kualiti bersama family, kawan2 dan dapat tambah skill adalah sangat bermakna utk aku. 

Terima kasih Allah kerana bagi aku rezeki bekerja di PayPal.

Terima kasih PayPal sebab bagi faedah ni pada pekerja anda.

6 tahun bersama PayPal dan masih setia. 

Kisah Tayar Ganti Di Highway Thailand

Alkisah masa kitorg dlm perjalanan nak ke penginapan kedua didaerah Kanchanaburi, waktu tu dlm jam 11 malam. Kitorang melalui satu highway ni yang tak berapa cerah tapi jalannya besar dalam hujan yang renyai2 ru suasana agak suram. Jadi memang sedap lah nak tido.
Tengah sedap2 tidur dalam van, tetiba terkejut dengar bunyi kuat gila dari bawah van betul2 dekat tempat duduk aku ngan kak su dan kak ikin. Kitorg pon terjaga. Abang driver yg namanya Abg Shidi terus perlahankan van ketepi nak tengok apekah bunyi bising tu tadi. Bunyi tu seakan tin yang ditarik laju atas tar.
Abg Shidi dan sorg lagi pemandu namanya Mat pon turun dengan lampu suluh untuk periksa bawah van tu.
3 van lain yg sama2 dlm trip ni pon berhenti jugak sbb van kami yg paling hadapan. Mat dan Abg Shidi pon dok suluh2 bawah van tu. Pastu aku tengok diorg kebelakang van2 lain.
Dlm 5 minit mcm tu Abg Shidi dtg balik kat van dan bgtau kami semua yang bunyi tu td dtg dr tayar ganti yang tercabut dr tempatnya. Masalahnye sekarang tayar tu dah kena 2 kereta orang lain. MasyaAllah! Takotnyer masa tu tak tau nak cerita tapi bila tengok muka Abg Shidi senyum je bila bgtau berita tu kami pon relaks je lah.
Pastu dia pergi balik ke kereta yang kene tayar ganti tu. Ada antara kami yg turun untuk tengok drama kot2 nak bergaduh mintak bayar ke ape ke kan. Tengok2 xda drama, semua orang relaks je dan bincang dalam bahasa thai. Pastu Abg Shidi terangkan yang sekrang ni kita nk call pihak insurance dan tunggu diorg datang. No police involve. Kereta yg 1 tu terbabas teruk jugak sampai tayar keta dia pulak meletup dan pecah. Yang lg 1 tak teruk sgt. Tp alhamdulillah takda kemalangan jiwa.
Dalam lebih kurang 45 minit camtu wakil insurance pihak2 terlibat ni pon sampai dan diorg pon berbincang. Pastu dlm 15 minit gitu semua setel. Harap maklum takda drama ye. Sejam je setel semua dengan mangsa dan insuran. Yang bestnyer setel dengan senyuman manis.
Ni kalau kat malaysia sejam tu baru nak habes gaduh. Jalan dah tentu jam sebab ramai nk tengok amik gamba amik stetmen. 

Pengajaran haritu: Bertenang dan Berbincang dengan baik itu tentu memberikan hasil yang baik. Adanya ketelusan dalam bekerja pasti membuatkan segalanya berjalan lancar walaupon ketika dalam kesusahan.

Sebarkan kasih sayang bukan kebencian.

Happy New Year 2017 : Old me, new thinking.

Hello,

Today, 23rd Jan 2017 I've decided to write again in my little blog for my personal reference. If you happen to stop by here and read, i hope it mean something for you. if not that`s totally okay. i want to change the direction in my blog from previous post. No selling post anymore unless i want to promote other's business. i want this blog to be more sharing of what i experienced, feel, thought, love or hate. 😃

Since we are still in January, so i guess it`s OK for me to set some goals and resolution for 2017. I do have some goals from last year that i wanted to continue this year. And dont get me wrong, it`s not that i didn't  achieve it, but because i want to still continue doing it. 😊😊


So here are my goals for this year :

Love & Life :
1. To be able to conceive and have kid. Twin would be lovely. Thank you Allah. :-)
2. To reach and connect with more people that used to be my best friend during school time, universities and before i got married and work. (This is my 2016 goal and i will continue.. i`ve reached and connected with at least 5 best friend last year and still continue the relationship. 
3. Visit at least 2 countries.
4. To be able to buy a decent house.

Career :
1. I want a promotion and good pay raise.
2. I want to seek opportunity in leadership role.

3. I want to join Toast Master Club
4. I want to be more confident in whatever i do. (**only me know  😊😊)

What's yours? 

Love 😍
Shakila

How to save money and still enjoy life?

Everything that we do or need now cost money. Even if you need to pee in public toilet. Our cost of living increase every year but our income level does not moving in same movement. As a normal.public citizen I feel the pain of paying high amount of money just to get a decent cup of coffee with nasik lemak every morning.
So how do we continue to survive in this situation? I would like to share tips on how to save our money and still have fun😀

1. Living in moderation.
     As old Malay saying,  ''measure cloth on your own body''. For example, if you like coffee but your income does not much, you dont have to go to fancy or hipster coffee shop like Starbucks, Whisk, Expresso Labs etc...instead buy Old town white coffee 3in1, Kopi Che Nah or Kopi Kapal Api that is much more cheaper and you get good coffee too. If your company provides free drinks, utilized it well.
Another example is, if you like branded handbag, you don't have to buy authentic, but buy fake branded merchandise or no brand handbag but good design. It will not cost you as much as branded item.
Plus now in we have lots of local brand with great quality and fair price.

2. Eat Healthy
Malaysia is the top in obessity list. Why? I personally think because we eat anything we can or want anytime. Food price increase significantly every time i check. Why dont we try to eat moderately in terms of portion and fanciness. You dont need to go to a fine dining just to eat steak that later did not fulfill your empty stomach but you have to pay fortune just to try it. You can make your own steak. LEARN! You don't need to go out for lunch at fancy places like Franco, Delicious, or Hokaido shushi..make your own lunch. It's more healthier and off course your money are saved from GST or Service taxes.

3. Explore Local : Cuti-Cuti Malaysia
If you like travel and see places you can explore Malaysia. There's a lot of places for you to see and most of it are more beautiful that outside Malaysia. If you like beach you can go to Kapas Island, Mabul Island, Kapalai Island, Rawa Island or if you like city you can go to Ipoh, Penang, Johore Bahru or Malacca or maybe if you enjoy nature we have our own beautiful nature such as Royal Belum, Mount Kinabalu, Mount Tahan. The list will go on and on.. Travel locally will help you to save a lot from currency exchange loss, expensive accomodation or transport. Im not saying you should not visit other country, but im suggesting you to visit and explore our own beautiful Malaysia to fill in your hunger for exploration. Try to complete as much city or sub-city in Malaysia before you explore the world. I once heard that people say travel is like reading a book, if you never travel, means you only read page 1. If you only see outside your country means you skipped a lots of pages and your knowledge may not be valid. Think about it.

4. Grow your own vegetable
If you buy vege everyweek, why dont invest some time and money to prepare for your town-vegegarden. It will not cost you huge amount of money but the return in sweet.
I personally grow my own vege and i already tatse the sweetness return and i have stop buying vege such as ocra, pak choy and water spinach. If you live in an apartment, you can grow it like flower. You can search on youtube how to grow vege in apartment or landed house. 

5. Recycle, Repurpose & Reuse

This term no need an explanation. What you need is try to take an action. Example your old jeans. Dont throw it, you can make a new bag out of it and maybe you can try to sell it. You can also reuse empty soda bottle as your vase to grow vege. Or you can collect glass bottle, tin can and platic material then sell it to the recycle company. You not only save money but also our environtment. To make it more fun, do it with your family and you could make a lot of different to the community as well. Now with lots of state try to implement no plastic and you have to pay 20 cent for each plastic bag you need. Dont be a lazy person by paying 20 cent instead of you bring your own recycle bag.

Live in moderation will teach you to be modest and more humble. Eventually will save a lots of money with good feeling.

It's been awhile since my last writing on this blog. Been busy doing important things and assisting something else. Our life change.

Doesn't matter if we realize it or not. Yes it change. Whatever that happen in Our life, conflict or issue, we always have option to choose. Use our brain to wisely to make good decision.

My life has change a lot since I've made decision to move up in my career. It's seems like 3 months is worth waiting. Whatever people think, just don't give a damn. I know myself better than anybody. But off course i will stay out of any conflict.

This blog will not only be the place where i Share about my little business, but also short story of my life. Anyone who stop by this page are most welcome to read and leave ethical and appropriate feedback.

May peace be with everybody.

Tentang Perkahwinan

"Banyak soalan banyak juga tanda tanya".. 

lirik dari salah satu lagu popular Najwa Latif.

Tentang perkahwinan. Memang banyak tanda tanya dan soalan yang perlukan jawapan dalam isu perkahwinan. Kadang - kadang jawapan tu bukanlah apa yang kita nak dengar tapi itulah jawapannya. Betul tak? 

Perkahwinan adalah ikatan dua jiwa, dua hati, dua jasad yang akan menjalani kehidupaan dunia bersama. Jika segalannya baik dan diizinkan Allah, mungkin akan dapat bersama di syurga juga. Ikatan yang diikat oleh agama. Ikatan yang dijalin dengan kasih sayang. Ikatan yang disemai dengan kepercayaan. Nampak seolah mudah sahaja tapi hakikatnya bukanlah semudah yang kita sangka atau harapkan. Jangan takut sebab Allah takkan bagi ujian yang berat kalau kitaa taak mampu. Dan dengan ujian itulah menguatkan ikatan perkahwinan kita.

Berkongsi ni bukan sesuatu yang mudah. Apatah lagi nak berkongsi kehidupan jalan cerita masa depan dengan orang baru dalam hidup kita. Kita pon tak pasti macam mana perangai atau sikap dia dalam sesuatu perkara. Banyak yang perlu kita belajar amd kesanggupan untuk belajar tulah yang akan membantu kita menangani konflik jiwa.

Jangan mengalah dengan ujian tapi bersabarlah dan berusahalah.