NEW

I have created a new blog:

http://aniahazmi.blogspot.com

and I will continue from there.

Revision Class

This morning, we didn't wake up for sahur because I slept without setting the alarm. I felt like crying when my husband woke me up, and we looked at the clock on the wall, it was already 5 am! It's the second time that we didn't sahur, but alhamdulillah it was ok. I gues it's because we didn't go out.

It's my fourth day today that I haven't been studying well. I had been bothered about a few things, so it was a bit challenging to focus. Today was definitely better. I looked around my room and realized that I needed to do some cleaning up, sweeping the floor and changed the bed linen. Creating a clean environment is very important. Clutters bring negative energy!

This Sunday, I start my revision class with Dr Sherif El Hawary! I cannot wait. I had been waiting for this class for about 2 months. The sad thing is that I haven't memorized the cardiology topics yet, so I am a bit unprepared. But I still have a few days to start memorizing. I wonder how the class will be. My classmate told me that he'll start at 10am... and I have no idea when it's going to end. I hope the class ends around Asr because I need to go home to cook for iftar. The Egyptians have no problem since they have their moms to cook for them! I wish I have a maid here... this is me talking when I feel lazy. But most times, I feel happy that it's just the two of us in the house as we get 100% privacy around the house EVERYWHERE!!!

Anyway, I am glad I came up with a formula for me to remain focus on studying. It helps me a lot!

Break big tasks into small chunks!

Neat!

After 6 years

Marriage is like fine wine, as it ages it gets better.

Yesterday marks our 6 years together as husband and wife. I cannot believe how time flies so fast, it doesn't feel like a long time ago when I was busy sending out invitation cards with my dad around KL, and busy with the fitting sessions for the wedding dresses, and getting things ready for the big day. I am so glad it's all over. I was so worried about how the day would turn out to be.. we kept on praying that it'll be a sunny day and not a wet rainy day. Alhamdulillah it was indeed a sunny day!

I remember when during our first few days of marriage, my husband's uncle (Ayah Jitt) and aunty (Mak Lah) came over to mama's house (mother-in-law)... my husband and Ayah Jitt had like a secret code, where they'd say "2 years..." I kept wondering what the 2 years meant.. could it be, after 2 years, he'd get bored of me? After 2 years, things are going to change..? My husband, being the "typical" him refused to tell me what was meant by the "2 years" that was said quite a few times during their visit. Finally he told me, mainly to calm me down because I told him, I had a bad feeling about it. He told that Ayah Jitt told him, in a marriage, usually it takes about 2 years to really understand each other, so if anything happens like quarrels over small things are just normal! So there's really nothing to worry about. Indeed it was true. As the days go by, we understood each other better and better. Again, syukur Alhamdulillah for all that.

We really believe that what's important in a marriage is what really happens behind closed doors. What's being portrayed to the public may not be the real thing. I'm not saying that people who show their happiness are faking it... that is not what I meant. But what I mean is, some people "pretend" to be this perfect couple (no quarrels and bla bla bla)... but in reality, they are not like that, and the next thing you hear is that they are divorced! This mostly happens among the celebs, of course! You can drool looking at how perfect their wedding are, and after a few years, it's all gone. I once heard in audio book, by Jack Canfield if I'm not mistaken:

"People plan for their wedding day, but not their marriage."

That made me think.. it is true. Couples nowadays plan for the best wedding gowns, the best caterers, the best hotels, the best flowers and so on... but have they planned for what's going to happen after their wedding day is over? I certainly didn't think or plan about it.. haha. I did get married at an early age, so I'm not going to be so hard on myself for that fact! Hehe. Anyway, what helped me get through in trying to understand my new roommate? Firstly, he's a very kind enough to tolerate my "tahpapeness"so that factor helped a lot. Besides that, we read a lot of books... my husband had always been a bookworm, so I supposed he really knew his around it.. but I read quite a few books in trying to understand "men" in general. My favourite is of course "Why men lie, why women cry" by Alan and Barbara Pease. I loved that book.. and another one is Idiot's guide to marriage.. we got this as a wedding gift from Mak's friend. What a thoughtful gift! It did come in handy.

Ok.. the summary of what I had learnt from the books I read:

1. Men have to be told what you want them to do. As a woman, I'd always expect my man to do what I want him to do without telling him! I am very sure it sounds very familiar to girls out there, right? When I watched the movie "The Breakup"... it was like deja vu during the part where Brook (Jennifer Aniston) wanted Vince Vaughn to want to wash the dishes instead of doing the dishes after being told to do so!!! Well, they certainly cannot read our mind. But if you ask for help, they will do it for you, it's just that they don't know "how" to help. This is not being a controlling freak ok... some people may get it wrong. You know how people find it wrong when a wife asks a man to help around the house. It may not work in the olden days, but it works in the present days. Especially when wives are working or studying, so help around the house is needed.

2. Give each other the benefit of the doubt. Let's face it, everyone have their bad days. So when one over reacts, just give him/her the benefit of the doubt. I'm a very sensitive person, so most of the time, I get upset over silly statements.... but after years, I totally get this whole thing. Most people don't mean what they say when they are tired, depressed, angry or in a bad mood.

Erm... what else.. I had a few in mind, but I cannot recall. But these are the two important ones I think. Oh yeah.. another one that my mom always ingatkan. What does LOVE stand for?

L - Listen

O - Overlook one's flaws/mistakes

V - Voice out how you feel

E - Effort

I always remind myself of the E (effort) part. A great marriage takes effort and things don't come easy. I used to think that it will just happen.. oh boy, was I wrong! For example, after a while, you can loose the sparks in a marriage, so you have to keep it going. Keep the love letters, or emails going. SMS each other nice messages, because if you stop all this, you will end up in a boring relationship.

Ok, I guess this is all for now. Before I end my entry, I want to make it clear that I am still learning the whole relationship/marriage thing. I am not saying that we have a perfect marriage, we are still learning just like any of us out there. May we last forever dunia and akhirat.

My husband waiting for me

Kesian tunggu lama. Hehe. Sorry syg.

First Tarawih

Alhamdulillah we got to solat tarawih for the first night of Ramadhan in al azhar mosque. It's our last Ramadhan here in Egypt and I just admit that I did feel sad just now. Right now, we're in GAD restaurant waiting for our foul and eggs. Haha. It's the last celebration before fasting tomorrow.

Ok.. so here is what we ordered:

The journey to the mosque took us about 30 minutes because of the traffic jam. The street was crowded full of people buying things fir the holy month. I just don't get it, it felt like malam raya on jalan TAR!

How to Create Good Study Habits for Exams

Taking exams can be a time for stress and anxiety if you have not studied during the year; you will find yourself cramming for each test and studying late into the night. With a little time management during the school year, you not only minimizestress at exam time, but maximize productivity and results!

[edit]Steps

1. Buy an extra notebook for each subject at the beginning of the year so that as you finish a chapter in class, you immediately write notes and summaries in that book. The classwork will still be fresh in your mind so at exam time you merely have to take the notebook home from school. Write down the key points you learned from each lesson onto a cue card. This helps your mind to retain the day's important facts. On the weekends look over the cue cards. Get your parents or friends to quiz you on them.
2. Learn how to make mind maps, cluster maps and other memory aids. Mind maps are graphical illustrations of a subject and a great memory tool to use, especially during exams.
3. As soon as you finish a topic take out a book from the library and read more information about the subject. Take notes to refer back to them before and at test time.
4. Don't do rough drafts for essays. Just do the good copy straight away, but thoroughly as well. In an exam situation you won't have time to write out a whole draft copy, so practice writing out good copies straight away.
5. Make a timetable for exam days by marking the dates on a calendar, so you can be prepared by the time the test comes around.
6. Make a list of your classes and the topics covered in class. As you study a topic, mark it in a way that is meaningful to you, to remind you which topics have already been studied.
7. Set aside a study time each day when you are not too tired, or too hungry. If you are going to study for a long time, remember to take a break in between.
8. Set up a study group. Study groups share notes, thoughts and ideas or how to solve or understand a particular problem. Be sure to honor the class rules on what work may or may not be done in groups.
9. Plan out 'trial' exams for yourself. All you have to do is redo one of your past tests or quizzes within a time limit. Get into the exam mode by clearing your work desk of everything except your paper and pen.
10. Get enough sleep at night. It's harder to concentrate when you got less than six hours of sleep the night before.
11. When choosing individual subjects to study, start with the least enjoyable or the most difficult subject. Master it, and you'll end up loving it. At the very least, you won't have to worry about putting it off until it's too late because you don't like it

[edit]Tips

• Don't panic on test day. On the night before the exam, and in the morning of read through your notes a few times, then put them away.
• Don't panic if you have not studied well. Just think over the question and you might remember something the teacher taught you. After all, you are studying things that men have discovered before without previous knowledge.
• Eat a healthy breakfast that day, so you feel energized, but don't eat so much that you feel full. Something to consider is a study that says males do better on tests if they are slightly hungry, and females do better on tests if they are slightly full. Again, don't overdo it.
• You gain less by studying for exams at the last minute. One way to think about it is to start studying for the next exam as soon as you get the material, don't wait until a week before the test to start.
• If you suffer from exam stress then take a calming antidote, perhaps an herbal tea. Just don't overdose because it'll make you drowsy.
• Don't stress out, it makes your mind work slower.
• Have a balance in life, exams are simply a quick and lazy way to assess people. Don't panic, just study.
• Develop a positive attitude towards exams. If you are well prepared you'll walk into the exam room thinking "WOW! I can't wait to prove myself to these examiners, I'm gonna Ace this test, just to show them." Negative attitude: " Oooh, I'm so nervous. I hate exams; what's the point? I really don't feel up to this."
• Ever heard this? "Good luck with your exam!" This is false hope, you shouldn't need a pint of luck to help you succeed,and if you DO need good luck, then you obviously haven't prepared enough.
• While some can be, most exams aren't really this big. Exams are really just large quizzes with a time limit. No big deal.
• Do a work out during your breaks it helps you concentrate and focus you Mind.

[edit]Warnings

• If you have not prepared yourself for the test, during the term, and before the test, do not expect a high mark!
• Too much study can be as bad as not enough study because the mind shuts down when too much information is crammed into it.
• Mind blanks are possibly the most frightening things to occur in an exam. They can happen in any subject, but you can overcome them. The only way to overcome mind blanks is to relax the brain from its hysterical state. In the exam room, close your eyes, breathe in for 5 seconds and let it release through the mouth automatically. Repeat this until you can feel the facts crawling back into your memory.
• Don't try to learn a new chapter a day before the exam; instead, revise what you already know.