How To Start Your Basic Bullet Journal

Assalammualaikum.
Hi dah-lings!

I got into this bullet journalling whole caboodle only recently; 16 days ago to be exact so kindly don't expect this post to be the ultimate guide to bullet journalling 😅😅

As I started blog walking, I noticed some bloggers wrote tips on bullet journalling and their experience doing it. At first, I couldn't be more disinterested but after I kept stumbling upon so many irresistibly cute images on Pinterest (which till now I haven't really gotten the hang of), I decided to actually learn bullet journalling, or BuJo as they call it.

I started reading the Bullet Journal official website tutorials and watched countless videos on YouTube on bullet journals, all during the time I was a passenger during our travel back to KL for hub's exam, 12th Jan to be exact. I watched so many videos and read so many articles in the moving car I almost become carsick.

During that journey, I became so inspired I even spent RM24.90 to buy 4 sets of Washi tapes from China which needed at least 14 days to arrive!

What Is A Bullet Journal?

If you have been using Notes or any equivalent note-taking apps, a period tracker app, an expense tracker app, a handwritten diary, some Stick-It Notes and multiple small pieces of paper you use to write a To-Do List and fold them and put it in your purse, then you might want consider a bullet journal.

A bullet journal combines all the above in one planner.
I love that it really gives you the freedom of making your own life schedule without having to worry about unused pages in the usual premade planners.
But, it will be so private that you should not lose it.

1. The Journal

Get yourself an affordable, nice planner. Most tutorials recommend a dot grid planner - that makes it easier to create straight lines and design stuff on it. But I would say if you have an unused planner that is not dotted grid, you should use that first before splurging into a new planner.

I am someone who won't necessarily stick to one obsession for long.
So I decided to use the Maybank planner my little sister Aisyah gave me one or two years back. It was still clean, untouched and the size was perfect for a bullet journal.

The only disadvantage is maybe the insides are not dotted but rather blank on one side and lined on the other - which certainly won't help my uncreativity.
I will most certainly buy a dotted grid planner if this bullet journal of mine works out well.

The Maybank Journal. I think this is a B5 sized planner

2. Pinterest Account

I relied so heavily on Pinterest for bullet journal designs. I became so inspired by all of them I almost forgot my own capability. How could people actually write those nice calligraphies?!

Really, just browse through Pinterest and pin those designs you like and suit your creativity and aptitude.

If you are hopeless in drawing a straight line without a ruler like me, then go for the simple yet practical designs.

3. Index

The Index is basically the "Table of Contents".
Some tutorials said an Index is not necessary for a bullet journal but I think it will help once my BuJo is filled with useful materials. I will need some sort of Index to help me browse through and quickly search for pages in my BuJo.

This is how my simple Index page looks like

I divided my Index into "Categories" and "Scheduling".

So, pages like "Travel Necessities" (which I really2 plan on writing) and "Period Trackers" will go under Categories while my "Future Logs", "Monthly Spread" or perhaps "Weekly Spread" will come under Scheduling.

Click here for my Index original header idea
Click here for the Index content idea

4. A Key Page

The Key page just helps you organise your planner more systematically so that you know what each symbol stands for.

My advice: don't create too many symbols or you will easily forget them.
I am a tick-box person, I find the original dot symbol for "Task" does not work for me. I like to see my task being ticked in a box as they are completed.

A real simple Key page. The header idea comes from Pinterest

5. Year Review Spread

A spread is two pages combined together (or at least that is how I understand it).
This spread is just the normal whole year view in almost all types of premade planners.

I spent a very long time drawing this 2020 Year Planner spread on my BuJo but I didn't regret it one bit.
I just wish I am better at doodlings so that I can make the pages look a lot more interesting and cute.

Hand-drawn, little by little

6. The Future Log

Future Log is also commonly found in most premade planners, just that they are not called Future Logs in those planners.
They are basically the page where the calendar is printed on and you can make notes for each month - that's Future Log.

This is how my Future Log looks like

My Future Log is also a simple one, easily drawn and written but I spent almost an hour perfecting the numbers and making sure I don't accidentally draw non-parallel lines.

While going through tutorials, most of the ideas are only design ideas.
They don't show what they really put on those pages - so here I am divulging a little bit of the content of my BuJo. I edited out some of the more private ones 😋

7. Customise Your Own BuJo

There are so many other pages that you can create in your BuJo to suit your life scheduling.
Some recommend monthly spread and weekly spread.

I did try a monthly spread for January, and will most probably do it again for February but I'll have to see if I want to continue doing it for the subsequent months. This is probably what I love most about BuJo - it gives you total freedom of what you want to incorporate into your planner.

There are many tutorials for daily log; or daily planner (the non BuJo language).
I find daily log useful but I can't stick to writing on my BuJo daily so I skip many days.
I still wonder when do BuJo-ians actually write their daily logs.
Do people actually have time to plan their day before their day actually started?
Or do they plan the night before?

As of now, I start writing my daily log mid-day and have written only 3 daily logs.

Daily Log

Above is how one of my daily logs look like.
If you notice, I used the dot symbol for my Tasks on Jan 20th but changed to the tick boxes on Jan 21st because I don't like how my completed tasks look like without the tick boxes.

This is my January Spread. Click here for the original Pinterest image

My January spread is also known as the January dashboard simply because the Pinterest idea I got it from called it a dashboard.

I spent a long time drawing these boxes, I might not use this design again for February but this is one of the simplest designs since it incorporates only boxes and shades and I am awful in doodling and calligraphy.

The headers should actually read 3 Things To Do In Jan, Books to Read, Notes, Events and Next Month but because my handwriting in those boxes was bad, I re-shaded them all black and am just waiting for it to dry up and rewrite those headers.

Since I can't seem to write daily logs but still have things that I must do within that week, I created this modified weekly spread. It doesn't look like the weekly spreads they show in Pinterest but since this is my BuJo, I'll design my own pages to suit my own scheduling.

My modified weekly spread

8. A Saviour

My kayu hands cannot keep up with drawing and designing.
Even a heart symbol will look asymmetry in my hands and a circle will end up an oval.

If you notice, most of my designs are straight lines and thus, the triangle-shaped ruler (the professional name for it is a set square) is one of the most important pieces of equipment in my arsenal.

Triangle-shaped ruler 

I bought the set for only RM3.90 from Popular Bookstore. It also comes with a protractor which I don't need. The set square was my knight in shining armour while I was drawing my January dashboard, what more with one side of my planned page is blank. I can't afford to have lines with unequal distances between them.

I wrote "At least 1 blog post" as my task for this week but it seems I accomplished two! I love this sense of achievement 😆
Now I just hope that I can stick with this planner for a long time and get my life more organised.
I am hitting 30 this year, I should be more organised and prim and proper and whatever lah.

Perhaps I will write more about my experiences with BuJo in the future. I already feel some disadvantages with it and now am looking for ways to overcome them. I even created a new blog tag; Bullet Journal. Let's hope the tag gets filled with good posts :)

'til then


-Because life is a test-

-AkMaR-
http://nur-akmar.blogspot.com

What Coming From A Multiracial Family Means

Assalammualaikum :)

Photo by Humphrey Muleba on Unsplash

My mother is a Chinese who reverted to Islam during her teen years when my grandmother married my Muslim step-granddad and took her back to live with them. She lived with her auntie before that so she grew up with her cousins - now I call them Ee Ee.

She then married my Malay father and the rest was history.

Two Major Celebrations Every Year

Naturally, I celebrate both Hari Raya and Chinese New Year every year.

During Hari Raya Aidilfitri, I used to go back to Kuantan where my maternal grandma lives, but now she lives in Kota Damansara - it's so near mum's house that I don't call it balik kampung anymore.

On CNY, we go back to Penang - that's where my Ah Ma and Ee Ees live.
Ah Ma unfortunately passed away in 2007 at the age of 92 during my first week in INTEC 😞😞.
Bless her, she's such a nice soul, always asking if I ate enough even though she barely recognised me due to her Alzheimer.

My Big Family; CNY 2020

Taking Long Leaves during Festive Seasons

When I was a houseman, even getting leaves for Hari Raya was hard enough, what more getting leaves during CNY. Before housemanship, I was studying in the UK so I often missed CNY celebrations too.
Consequently I missed CNY for many years already and it has always troubled me.

But since 3 years ago, Alhamulillah I managed to get at least 2 days of CNY leaves.
It is important for me to get long leaves as I am now working in a hospital in the southern part of Malaysia while my Ees stay in Penang - that's a 10 hour drive from where I live. Bruh!

I feel bad that my colleagues need to work extra hard during those times I take leave but I do bring them some cookies in return :)

Spending Twice as Much Money Every Year

It's official. I am working, and I am married.
That means in both cultures; I must give out duit raya 😫😫
It's putting a dent in my purse during every Raya and CNY.

I used to get duit raya twice a year when I was a kid, but now I have to give twice a year.
The weight of the trouble my mum faced since ages ago suddenly dawned upon me.
I've always known that she had to give duit raya twice too, but I didn't realise the extent of the expenses.
Now I made sure hubs prepares more duit raya during Aidilfitri 😆 There are more little cousins on his side anyway.

And travelling expenses is no joke. My Mazda 2 tank emptied after travelling from around Tangkak to Juru. And the toll fare was more than RM60 one way, depending on which entrance I get into PLUS Highway from.

Being Part of Two Different Cultures

This might be my most treasured perk.
Mostly I live the Malay Muslim's way of life, but I absorbed a lot of Chinese ways too.

I enjoy the celebration during Aidilfitri and Aidiladha, the sweet sufferings of Ramadhan, but also the sweetness of Chap Goh Mei (Chinese Valentine) and the hardwork during Cheng Beng / Qing Ming (the grave cleaning day).

I eat spicy food like a Queen but I can't live without plain soups (hubs call it air rebusan ayam. Yes, because Chinese soups usually tak letak spices).

I salam and cium tangan (shake and kiss the hands) with the Elders during Raya or Malay house visits, and call the Elders to respect and acknowledge them during Chinese home visits.

I enjoy dodol and also tangyuan.
I pray 5 times a day, I pray Solat Raya when I can but I also helped my Ees fold those yellow prayer papers and observe her burning them in the metal barrel.
I see my Ees burning incense with teary eyes for my late Ah Ma, while me and siblings read the Yasin next to her coffin - praying whaever we can so that her sufferings are reduced.

My mother's Malay family is also technically a 50/50 Chinese + Malay family while my father's side is more of the Indonesian Malay culture.
Hence I only start to experience the true Malaysian Malay culture after I got married to Akmal; and he's part Bugis.
Through him I was introduced to burasak and pakloi, and ikan parang (OMG so boney but so tasty).

This year I brought my in laws with me for CNY since they also wanted to visit Penang

I resonate with both the Malays and the Chinese pledges; and I really hate it when people try to play the racism card; especially when politics are concerned.

I think we all must try to live happily, tolerating and accepting each others strengths and weaknesses.

I can say that coming from a multiracial background helped me becoming a better person, being able to always relate things to my experience.
And multiracial offsprings are usually more intelligent too; hakss..

Do you have your own multiracial stories to tell?
I am eager to read about them!

'til then!

-Because life is a test-

-AkMaR-
http://nur-akmar.blogspot.com

What I Should Write About

Assalammualaikum.

Even though I started blogging since 2007, it wasn't until recently that I know where I am going with this blog.

| An Online Journal |
I initially started the blog as an online diary - very private stuff at first and then becoming a little bit lighter, but an online diary nonetheless.

I find I didn't attract many readers in the earlier parts of my blog writing - only my friends read my blog and sometimes commented.
Sometimes I was okay with that - I find solace in writing and I didn't mind people not reading them but sometimes I wasn't - I wished I have more readers and subscribers.
My life definitely wasn't as interesting as Vivy's 😂😂

Reading back my posts from 2007, they were all so precious and memorable.
I am editing most of them now (putting in some pictures to make them more compatible with my new layout) but I am trying really hard not to correct the grammatical errors the 17-year-old me wrote.

I wrote about my first few days in IMU - how I perhaps felt intimidated and exposed with the people and the environment of a private university, coming fresh from a Government-run college.
They might not be interesting to blog readers - but reading them again made me relive those memories and I am glad I wrote them.

| Beauty Tips |
Reading other people's blogs over the years landed me a conclusion - beauty tips sell.
Reviews on makeups, cleansers, facial masks, etc will garner more attention than a post on a boring day in college or at work.

But I am no beautician. I don't even have flawless skin - my skin is at its worst breakout time now that even my inattentive husband noticed them. How could I ever write beauty tips?

I also have my training to be blamed for this: it has been drilled into me - if in doubt, consult a specialist in that area.
Hip fractures? See an orthopaedic, don't come to an Anaesthetist.
Abdominal pain? Either Gynae or surgical.
Persistent nosebleed? ENT.

So naturally, I feel only beauticians should give beauty tips, or at least beautiful people, those blessed with flawless skin and know how to keep them. Or those with not-flawless skin but knows how to hide them well. Unfortunately, I am far from it.
So, no beauty tips from me. The same goes for fashion tips. Uh-oh, bye-bye.

| Experiences and Opinions |

After giving it much thoughts, I find I like to write events I experience so that I can read them back many years. I also like to give opinions even though no one asked me to - I am kehpochi like that.

So I decided to write on my worthy experiences and sometimes unpopular opinions - although I really need to cut my writing short, I tend to write a long lengthy post.
In years to come, I can read them all back and revive those memories.
I also hope along the way, some readers might find them useful or interesting.

| My Resolution |

I should be more concise and focused.
I shall spend more time writing and perfecting my writing so that readers don't stop halfway bored.
I shall read more books to expand my vocab and flourish my writing skills.

I hope I will be a better person, and a better writer as time passes.

'til then!

-Akmar-


-Because Life is A Test-

My Blogging Journey

Assalammualaikum.
Hye lovelies.

I started blogging around November 2007, when I was in A-Levels.
At that time blogging was just becoming a trend and I was excited to join the whole shebang.
I used the INTEC computer library a lot at that time, the computers were new and fast, the environment was nice - they were all good times.

At first, I intended for the blog to be a space I write about my day, my thoughts and interests; an online diary of some sort. I didn't even announce my blog to any of my family or friends (I didn't know how to, even. Remember, there was no FB / Ig/ Twitter yet).

My first reader was perhaps Raymond Tan, my high school friend.
At that time he was my go-to man for any computer or IT problems.
There were no comments on my blog posts, and I don't even know if people read my blog and I didn't mind.

I literally filled my blog with how my day goes - where I went and what I did.
I wrote about boys, my break-up, and my exams; oblivious to who might be reading them.
Then suddenly, Zulhilmi Bobby, an INTEC-mate commented on one of my blog posts.
That came as a surprise, I didn't know how he stumbled upon my blog.
Then I realised perhaps some people do read my blog. And I started became wary of my too-private contents.

Blog Walking

Soon I discovered blog walking, I frequently hit the "Next Blog" button on the Blogger top navigation bar but I was always directed to weird business, foreign, finances blog.

So I started to Google "Malaysian Bloggers" and stumbled upon blogs which direct me to other blogs and I became so addicted to it, to reading people's blog.
But I was a silent reader, I rarely leave comments on people's blog (bad girl, ain't I?)
Hence I did not make many friends nor followers.

Some of my INTEC friends started blogging too, but they write on religious stuff and opinions while I write a useless online diary 🤣🤣

Changing So Many URLs

Over the years, I perhaps had more than 5 blog addresses, I used both Blogger.com and Wordpress.com.

There was always something not right or downright annoying with my URL; they're either too much information (name combined with my birth month and year), too boring or even too complicated (try saying ineffable divine serenity in one go).

I learned how to import blogs, tweak simple layouts and a little bit of HTML.
I also created a blog for study, another blog dedicated to medical student ramblings, many other blogs for some other topics but they all did not last long.

It continued throughout my medical school years in Malaysia and in the UK.
It was so easy to blog then, I didn't much else things to do.

Housemanship Challenge

Then I started my housemanship in 2016.
That was when I really slowed down in blogging.
I really wanted to blog about my challenges, my hardships and things I observe during training but all I can do during my once-a-week off days were just sleep, sleep and sleep.
And it sort of died down even when I started my MO-ship, what more with the early stages here when I didn't have access to the internet pun.

Now, I am starting to regain my passion for blogging and I hope I can keep it up.
Heck, I even spent money on a new Blogger theme.

So stay tuned!

-Akmar-

~Because life is a test~

Hello, Blog

Assalammualaikum.
Hola hola hola!

I have again changed my blog design, giving it a facelift but this time it's different.
This is the first time I actually spent money on my blog design.
I used to only use free templates from Gooyabi Templates or Sora Templates but I got so inspired after reading this one blogger's blogging tip that I decided to buy a blogger template from Etsy.com.
This template is called Livvy and it cost me RM67!
I still have some issues with the template designs and are still waiting for Eve to reply to my messages on Etsy.

What I Tweaked Myself

The font size - the default font size for this template was very small, I couldn't get my eyes used to it.  I really need read-able font sizes to read comfortably and that means if other people's blog has small font, it really turns me off.

The widget title font - Eve used the Playfair Display font but she made it all lowercase. It gave me a feeling of unprofessionalism. For now, I simply changed it to normal format but I might change the whole font-style later, I get bored pretty easily.

May This Last

I hope I will use this theme for a long time, which is more than a year.
Looking at my track record of changing blog layouts, it is really difficult to achieve.
But since I actually paid for this theme, I hope I will appreciate it more.

-Because life is a test-

-AkMaR-

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

The Resignation of Our Education Minister

Assalammualaikum.
*Disclaimer: This might sound like a Maszlee fangirl post, but I don't care*

I welcomed 2020 with a heavy heart.
My favourite minister, Dr. Maszlee Malik resigned from his post 😫😫

Dr. Maszlee is I believe, an educator first before he is a politician.
With his prestigious and excellent academic background, he is the most suitable person to hold the Education Minister post.

During the GE14 campaign, I was very thrilled that he competed and even more elated when he won the Simpang Renggam Parliament seat.
When he was appointed the Education Minister, I had nothing but compliments, praises, and hope for him and the future of our education.
But he then came under fire when he was seen and said to be too religious - some people feared he Islamifies the public schools.
However, when asked about his piousness, he replied: "What's wrong with being pious?" - And I admire that straightforward answer of his.

His journey sure wasn't easy. He is perhaps the most criticised minister in PH cabinet - simply because his ministry deals with sensitive issues; the Jawi, vernacular schools, Islamic teachings, History syllabus, etc.
These issues have always been there but perhaps they were not publicised in the past or the previous Ministers did not deal with them - avoiding criticism and denunciation.

Not coming from a political background (He won his first election and right away appointed as the Education Minister), he wasn't really good with gaining the public favours at first. Some experts say he scores an A in his work but C in his publicity.
Even his decision to change the school shoes from white to black gained him the nickname "Menteri Kasut Hitam" - isn't that rude?
So I started following him on Fb, I wanted to show my support to him publicly.
I shared many of his achievements and plans and inspirations through Facebook.
He is I think the first politician that I really follow.

Reading his work in Borneo - visiting the rural schools and making sure they get repaired for students (Sifar Sekolah Daif) and his efforts so that even state-less children (an issue never occurred to me before) can get formal education inspired me.
Reading his vision so that all OKU students can get access to education fascinated me - he tackles issues that not many people think of but is actually a big issue to those affected.
His tagline "Education for All" motivated me.
He started the Free Breakfast for All schoolers - a thoughtful move.
He even introduced the "Suka Sama Suka" teacher transfer program to make it easier for teachers to transfer back to their hometown / nearer to spouse / children / parents.

But suddenly, he resigned. Effective 3rd Jan 2020.
I am pretty sure there is some internal crisis going on.
And I sure hope it is not due to that bloody Jawi syllabus thing.
I hope it is not due to the racism Dong Zong is promoting.

And really, the news of his resignation demotivated me.
So much so that I lost hope in Malaysia.
Macam mana nak dapat "Malaysia Baru" if you drive good people away?
Menteri yang buat kerja bagus, did not come out with stupid comments (unlike some perpaduan minister, or makcik cakap berapi) - pun kena halau from Parlimen, apa lagi nasib rakyat marhaen macam kita ni?
He was on a roll, doing his work and suddenly he resigns. Mesti ada external / internal pressure.
Read: 'Atas nasihat Ayahanda Tun M, saya letak jawatan Menteri Pendidikan' - Maszlee

I have always regarded myself as someone patriotic.
But honestly, upon knowing about his resignation, I immediately feel like migrating from Malaysia.
It reminded me of the Anaesthesiology MO post in Brunei that was advertised to me a few days ago - minimum pay RM11k!
And I already fulfill their criteria.
I feel like taking MCAI and going to Ireland to work.
Or work in Canada, since my mother and sister are enjoying their holidays there and the things that are so cheap.
Perhaps this is what some nonBumis felt - not that they are ungrateful, but they felt hopeless.

Anyway, I signed this petition on Change.org to keep him as our Education Minister.
Not sure how effective this is, I doubt it is but at least it shows the number of people supporting him.


-Because life is a test-

-AkMaR-
http://nur-akmar.blogspot.com