Change in Life: Alteration or Renovation?

Hello readers. Hope you still managed to find your way to my blog that I have abandoned again and again. The last entry that I posted was a few months ago and having some free time at the moment, I find its best for me to post something without any attached photo.

Often in life, we heard of the words saying, some changes in life is necessary if we want to improve and upgrade to a better version of ourselves. There are those who are always open to a new change while most are afraid of them. This is understandable as fear of change is an indirect way of telling ourselves how comfortable we truly are with our current situation and with what we have at the moment. Now, don't get me wrong. Being comfortable with our present state does shows that it is an act of being grateful but that does not means that there is nothing we are lacking at with what we currently have.

Now, if you are the type of person who most of the time have the fear of change; then perhaps you might want to have a clearer lists of reasons for why you need to have a little change on the life that you are currently having. I am going to list 3 possible reasons in general for what should people look at when wanting to have a change in their lives.

Three general reasons to have a change in life:

1. Mental health

2. Personal life goals

3. Demands on Needs & Want

To elaborate on these 3 points, I would like to highlight that these are specifically for working adult. Well, if you are a student, you might also want to read this as a preparation once you get there. You could also be an adult who currently studying and/or working at the same time. So, let's hope this one helps.

POINT 1: MENTAL HEALTH

We often heard people talks about mental health and how important it is for us to keep our mental health at its best state. However, there might not be as much information that is available out there which we can fit it perfectly to anybody's situation. So, it is best if we first evaluate what kind of situation we exactly in and whether or not the suggested ways to overcome them suits us or not. It is the same with this one that I am going to be elaborating on. Make sure that you read more than enough before you can conclude what you should do in your own situation.

Anyways, mental health is most fragile when it comes to dealing with stuff at work. There could be many possible reasons that may leads to an unhealthy mental health. This normally linked to the fact that there is a toxic working culture felt or experienced in the workplace. While this may seems like something that we can do nothing about, actually we could start small with a little change. Maybe first we try to change several things in our workplace. For instance, is before the "toxic" incident took place, we were too close with our colleague at work; perhaps that could be our first small change. We can try to spend less time hanging out with those at work and focus more on our work and get home once done. This does not means that we must avoid our colleague because whatever it is we must stay professional. If there are things which requires us to work together then, we should but then again make sure it stays that way and not being around each other more than just for working purposes. If you have done this as one of the small change in your life then congratulation. I hope it works.

POINT 2: PERSONAL LIFE GOALS

If you are a type of person who have so much fear of change that will take place in your life, then this might be the most relatable point for you to take the first step toward that change. Well, I truly believe that each and everyone of us have our very own lists of things that we would want to achieve in life. Some may have it small and some may be brave enough to have it big. Personally, I would say this to you; "Setting a life goal, dreams and wishes ARE FREE! If you can have the biggest goal in life set in your personal list for free then why would you go small?"

One thing I learnt about setting goals in life is that, when we set our mind to something in a form of a goal or benchmark, there is a great probability that what we get is one or two steps below the goal that we have set. Well, let me tell you. There are some who will say; if you know you can't have it then why bother setting it? This mindset is seriously unacceptable because saying this also means something like "If you can't breath a fresh and nice air then why bother breathing at all?" Now, do you see what I was trying to tell you?

If you find that you are still going nowhere even after setting your life goal then maybe you need to reevaluate on the "What, Why, and How" did you do your personal life goals lists. You might think that by having it all written and listed out is good enough but the truth is, that is merely the first steps of getting towards it. If you want to make it work the way it should then you must do it properly.

Here are some tips on how you can come out with your personal life goals.

1. Writing it out is VERY IMPORTANT.

You might think that having it all set in your mind is enough; well its NOT. So, get your pen and paper, start writing it out. A simple one would do. Once the list is done, you may paste it on any surface that you get to see it everyday. This will be a reminder to you on what is that BIG THING you are working and striving on.

2. Setting the timeline is REALLY HELPFUL

Timeline is what most people lacking at when outlining their life goal. You should always set the timeline for each goal. Now, when you do this remember to have everything taken into consideration. Things like your current commitment, you current "disability" which may stop you from achieving it in a short period of time. Remember, time is the essence of a powerful life goals. With all the date or month or years written on the side of each goals, you know that this requires a follow up and a check-up. Doing so will help you to know when to slow down or accelerate your speed.

3. Be realistic and revising your goal once a while is CRUCIAL

It is true that having as big as we want in our life goal is fine because its free. Well, it is free for us to have it in our list but along with those list comes challenges and responsibilities. So yes, you are free to write whatever you want in your list as long as you are ready and willing to pick up the basket filled with the bittersweet stuff in one package. You must be realistic on the type of goal, expected time to achieve and last but not least, revise your goals and their timeline timely. Revising is necessary for act of response or amendment.

POINT 3: DEMANDS ON NEEDS AND WANTS

Being grateful is really an act of feeling blessed and whole. However, we had to keep up to what is going on around us in order for us to not become the victim of change of situation. Note that "change of situation" phrase. While many dislike changes, situation is one of the million things that is not in our hand to control. Take the Covid-19 pandemic as a strong example. I hate to keep reminding on the deadly virus but it is the change of situation and truth we have no choice but to face and live with.

Same goes with demands on needs and wants. As time goes by, our needs and wants differ according to the demand. At the age of 18-22, our demand mostly focusing on upgrading our education level and later on at the age of 23 and above we demand to have a stable job with a good income. Car for example during our university years, is more of a want than a need because back when we were in the university years, having hostels cut off the need of having a car for transportation while entering the age of 23 and above it all change from wants to need.

The list goes on and on with other properties or life achievement we put into our checklist. Moving on from one age to another is yet another great example of change that is not in our power to control. Its a change that we must face and endure. Now, if you are still having that thought of "I am scared if...." then please remember that you had your demands on needs and wants changed from time to time. Thus, what is the problem with giving yourself to decide some other changes in your own lives, right?

So, my answer to the question; "Change in life: Alteration or Renovation?" is alteration is needed whether we want to stick to the original plan or bend a little to get to the same destination. Renovation  on the other hand is, knowing that when one door closes another door opens is like a new hope for a greater good. Its okay to change everything 360 degrees because we never know how things are when we first hard it in plan. So, once we had a new input of information, that is "something has changed" and my change is needed too.

Well, that would be it for this entry. I really hope that you enjoy reading my blog. Do leave your comment, responds or suggestions so I know what else should I be sharing about and whether or not I have done my best in doing my part as a blogger. 

Thanks for dropping by.

Love,

Adam Geordrey.

A High School Teacher

A Public Gold Active Dealer

A Tokio Marine Insurance Agent

A soon to be millionaire

A human.

Life Update - 16-05-2021 Life Journal

Hello, yes. Tell me, I know. I have been away for a long time, again. If I am not mistaken, the only thing that I had posted into this blog for this year 2021 is the teaching materials for the Tech-Camp Malaysia Philippines that I did for the past few weeks. So, here I am now, trying to post something so at least I know whenever I log into this blog, trying to look back at how things goes and what I have been doing recently, its here. So, this post is one of them.

Self note, I am here, stuck (that's how I called it) in this little town of Sebauh, a place where I do the job to earn for my living and to pay all the bills. That is not a really nice way to say it right? Well, of course apart from earning my monthly pay, this is also a place I am sent to by the Ministry to educate and enlighten the mind and souls of the young ones. Why do I call myself stuck here? Well, apparently COVID is still here, after a year and it still hit harder than before and we are all trying to play our part to reduce the cases and to break the chain. So, that is why I am still here (For about 4 months now since the last time I went back to my hometown) and trying to be a responsible citizen of keeping myself and people around me, safe.

A little talk on the teaching life itself, well it has never been easy with this whole Covid stuff still out here. At first, coming back to this little town in January, I had to teach 7 classes in which 2 of it is my 2020 Form 5 SPM Candidate and the other 5 classes is my online class or PDPR. It was hectic but of course I managed to get through. Then, during the SPM, I am glad that I took the chance to be one of the invigilator. My first experience was back in 2015 which is around 2 months after I got posted to SMK Sebauh. So, SMK Kidurong was the first school that I had my first experience as the SPM invigilator and that was for Private Candidates (Calon persendirian) and for SPM 2020 batch which was held February 2021 till March 2021, I had my second SPM invigilation in SMK Bandar Bintulu. To be honest both had its own experience and for the record, I love invigilating in SMK Bandar simply because the students that I had under me was so good and well mannered. They had good English too that I can use English as the medium of instruction.

Me and the SPM Invigilators Team for my Pusat Peperiksaan in SMK Bandar, Bintulu.

Me and the SPM Invigilators Team for my Pusat Peperiksaan in SMK Bandar, Bintulu.

My OOTD during the SPM Invigilation in SMK Bandar, Bintulu.

Anyways, coming back to how things are so far. our school break started on 8th of May till 16th of May 2021, which means that its a one week break for our online class. If only this covid is not an issue, I surely will be going back to spend time with my family. Unfortunately, since the cases are on the rise we are restricted from moving around. I may be able to go back if I go for the struggle to apply for the police permit but hey, I should not be selfish right? First, I must obey the law and second, the law is made for our own safety. So, having too many cases I believe it is best for me to stay home and not going anywhere apart from going around 10km radius, most is 50 km away for groceries and cash withdrawal. Other than that, I just stayed at home and revive in my own way before our "school break" ends.

So, how did I spent my school break? First of all is reading! Yeah! I am learning to respect my me-time by not being too attached to works and stuff all the time and I am glad I did! For some, this whole quarantine or lock down (or even online classes) is a burden but I tried my best to look on the bright side. I had more time for myself and I get to have enough rest because I won't lie, working from home enables me to do almost everything that I used to be so hard to, both personal and professional stuff. I managed to cope with classes and lessons better because I don't have to waste so much time on getting ready every morning before off to work. By this I mean preparing the printed materials and physical book marking, ironing cloth, get ready with the skincare routine and of course preparing lunch box for school. It get easier with this work from home because I really don't have to run here and there for my class or meetings because everything is done virtually now. As for food, I am at home so of course foods and drinks are just a step away. Compared to being physically in school, I barely have time for toilet break, let alone for food or drinks. So, yeay to that! But then of course, doing online classes has its own issue and I may elaborate more on that in the next post.

Now, a narration of the photos I am going to share in this post, I am getting myself busy taking care of the kittens. There are 5 of them and I am yet to give them names. The mama cat is not mine actually but since she gave birth inside my home (under the sofa to be exact) then, I shall call those kittens mine and yea, haven't had any thought of giving them away, so they are mine. Hahaha..

As for reading, I am getting more attached to books now that I spend most of my time at home. I am happy that I just realised my ability to read a book of about 300 pages in about two weeks time. I know that for an avid reader this is kind of slow but for my personal record this is so much better. I used to spend like half a year to finish reading a book because I was too coop up with works and stuff (or maybe that is just a lame excuse) yet I keep on buying books because one, I love keeping them as my personal collection and two, because I just want the books to be available near me whenever I feel like reading. I had this one experience during the first Quarantine back in 2020 where I went back to my parent's house and brought only one book with me since the school break was just one week and knowing myself and my reading speed, I believe that I won't be able to finish reading them in a week but I was wrong and that was a big mistake. When the government announced an extension of the quarantine I was lifeless when I did finished reading that one and only book. Since I was so eager to get something to read, I searched around the house for any book and I found my old chicken soup books and started reading. I thought I would love it but sadly I did not enjoy the book and I started to search for books online. I ordered some and by the time it arrived the ministry announced the opening of schools and that teachers must be back to school in about three days after the announcement. The book took almost a month to arrive due to the lock down stuff and that is something that is so not convenience. So, that is why I always wants my books to be around me.

Reading Heartstopper - Graphic Novel on my Tablet

Heartstopper Volume 4 is coming out very very soon! I can't wait!

Related to the paragraph above, that is how I spent my school break. I bought a new Ikea book shelf from Emart DIY Bintulu for RM109 (I checked online, in the peninsular IKEA store it costs only RM79. hahaha. Now that I have a new book shelf, of course I want to spend the 'free' time to re-arrange my books and put them in a better condition. So, there it is as shown in the photo.

That black shelf it the new one and the silver one, I moved it from the old place to this new edge.

This is my source of happiness. I am only renting for now but surely will have mini library at home one day in my very own home sweet home! Fingers crossed!

Apart from reading physical books I had also read some novels online from Wattpad on my tablet. Doing so much reading on the tablet which I got back in 2016 made me fell in love with the tablet, once again. Well, I used to love it so much since I have a bigger screen for youtube and other stuff but when I bought new phone, I rarely use the tablet. Now that I spend most of my time reading on the tablet, I loved it and just realised I had been keeping and using the tablet for about 5 years now! Proud of myself that I took good care of it! hahaha... I had also read some graphic novels and ebook on the tablet now that I learned I can have my personal digital library on it just by installing the e-reader app called e-prestigio. They layout of the book is super nice, and the reading experience is good too though of course I have to bear with the blue light which cause eye strain and I hate that. As for that, I found a new solution (I believe so but I can't say anything from a real experience since the kindle I bought is stiill has not arrive)! Hate that I had to bear with JNT bad service here in Bintulu. I purchased the Kindle Paperwhite 4 on shopee on 4th of April 2021 and stated in shopee, I shall receive the Kindle by 7th May 2021 since I chose the sea shipping which I am totally fine with the 4th April till 7th may waiting period. Unfortunately, as I was excited to track the device to be arriving in JNT Bintulu on May 5th, they keep putting my parcel on hold. I even went there twice to self pick up but they kept saying the same thing asking me to wait. I was like? Huh?! By the time I am typing all this 17-05-2021, my stuff is still put under "on-hold". I am really pissed off but I know its pointless since I tried everything I could yet all I have left to do is to just wait and bear with their bad service. Let's just hope this week will be the week they will do the delivery. *sigh.

This post is getting longer than it should, so I may want to end it here. So, below are some photos I took when me and my housemate went out for grocery shopping after we were done with the online Sunday Mass. I thought it would be a great idea to take some photos that I can go back and look into in the future when I am no longer here in Sebauh. So here are the photos.

The shoplots at the Kemena Riverside, Sebauh

The Kemena River!

That shop on the right is our Favourite Bakso restaurant!

The Sebauh Tamu and one of our favourite eatery too on the left!

One of the limited parking space in Sebauh.

We buy most of our groceries here!

The one and only petrol station in Sebauh

This used to be the place we can get our vegetables supplies before Covid hits us!

Well, I guess that is all for now. Shall try to keep up more. So, thank you for dropping by and read this blog. Please leave your comments. I would love to know who's reading. 

I own a YouTube channel too. Please go and subscribe my channel. Share it too! I really appreciate that!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL

That's all folks!

Love ya!

Adam Geordrey.

TEACHING MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY SKILL HANDOUTS 1 (a-d) – Handout 4

Hello and welcome back to my blog. In the previous post, I had shared the Prompts Sample for the Q's and A's session after the students have watched the video. In this post, I am sharing 4 files as follows:

a) Handout 1 ( Reading Activity - Good Vs Bad 4 text on 1 PDF File Version)

b) Handout 2 SWARRP Rules (“Say Wisely, Act Responsibly, Respond Politely) in PDF Version

c) Handout 3 Text for Individual Writing task including Sample Answer in PDF Version

d) Handout 4 Poster Sample for Post Activity (Pair Task)

Click on the link below to download the PDF of all 4 Handouts.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD HANDOUT 1 (a-d)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD HANDOUT 2

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD HANDOUT 3

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD HANDOUT 4

Thank you for visiting the blog and for any inquiries you may drop your comment or email me at adamgeordreyjames@gmail.com

 

Yours Sincerely,

Adam Geordrey.

TEACHING MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY SKILL HANDOUTS 1 - 4

 Hello and welcome back to my blog. In the previous post, I had shared the Prompts Sample for the Q's and A's session after the students have watched the video. In this post, I am sharing 4 files as follows:

a) Handout 1 ( Reading Activity - Good Vs Bad 4 text on 1 Page PDF Version)

b) Handout 2 SWARRP Rules (“Say Wisely, Act Responsibly, Respond Politely) in PDF Version

c) Handout 3 Text for Individual Writing task including Sample Answer in PDF Version

d) Handout 4 Poster Sample for Post Activity (Pair Task)

Click on the link below to download the PDF of all 4 Handouts.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD HANDOUT 1

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD HANDOUT 2

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD HANDOUT 3

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR DOWNLOAD HANDOUT 4

Thank you for visiting the blog and for any enquiries you may drop your comment or email me at adamgeordreyjames@gmail.com

Yours Sincerely,

Adam Geordrey.

PRE-LESSON PROMPTS [CREATED FOR TECH CAMP MALAYSIA-PHILIPINES LESSON PLAN EXAMPLAR 2021]

Hello and good day everyone. In this post, I include a file on the PRE-LESSON PROMPTS [CREATED FOR TECH CAMP MALAYSIA-PHILIPINES LESSON PLAN EXAMPLAR 2021]. Feel free to view/download.

For any enquiries or the full lesson plan and materials, you may contact me via email at adamgeordreyjames@gmail.com 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FILE

Thank you and have a nice day!

With Love,

Adam Geordrey James

ASTRO NJOI CHANNEL 2020

Hello everyone. This post is meant to share the lists of channels to those who are using Astro Njoi or planning to get one. I have been trying to search for the complete channel lists since I had changed my ASTRO to NJOI recently. To my surprise, I could not find any even after I tried so hard to look for it. There are lists available but they are all listed and numbered under the old channel numbers. So, I hope this post would be helpful for all of you who are using NJOI like me. Or if you are planning to go for NJOI.

Before that, I would like to state a disclaimer note here. I am not working with Astro but I would love to share what I know. So, let me promote both for you. 

If you are interested to watch variety of shows that is suitable for family, entertainment, cooking and lifestyle, you can subscribe to the ASTRO channels and subscription for as low as RM45. This was the price and package I went for when I subscribed to ASTRO around 3 years ago. The price may still be the same or they could be cheaper/slightly higher. Go have a check with your nearest ASTRO dealer.

On the other hand, for those who could not afford to pay a monthly commitment but would want to go for extra channels, you may get your NJOI Decorder for as low as RM350 or RM450. For this one, you will be having 29 TV Channels and 27 Radio Channels. This one is a one time payment and you will get all those NJOI channels for free for a lifetime. Do not worry if you are a sports person or a movie person because you can always purchase the Reload/Top Up coupon to purchase any movies or channels as they are available almost everywhere.

So, here, I am sharing with you all channels available under ASTRO NJOI for the year 2020.

By the way, there are also other options available for you if you want to go for other service provider like MYFREEVIEW. I bought a decorder for this one but other brands from Shopee for less than RM50. The problem is, not all areas are usable since it depends on the coverage of the signals.

I did mentioned I used to use ASTRO for RM45 and I upgraded to HD Channels for RM65 per month. However, after the MCO events takes place, realising I had to pay the three months payment though I never watch it since it was installed in a rent house (600KM away from my other house where I stayed at for the whole MCO), I decided to change my ASTRO to NJOI. It was not easy to decide since of course ASTRO would be better for all the channels I could enjoy watching. Unfortunately, I am having other commitments I have to pay for and if I calculate it right, that RM65 times 12 months is equal to RM780. I imagine the money to be inside my savings account, that would be nice right? So, I decided to go and get it changed. Now, I can save RM780 a year while sacrificing all the nice channels I could have enjoyed. But that's okay. Sacrificing the channels for self money savings.

In case you are wondering how was the process, let me share how I did mine.

1. I contacted them trough FB but the response was quite slow and due to MCO they could not process my request.

2. I called the customer service and the same issue arise.

3. I wait till MCO ended (Once the school is opened), and I called again. This time they responded and are kind enough to help.

So, this was how the whole process works:

1. Call the ASTRO customer service

2. Check your account bills balance

3. Inform the customer service that you want to change your ASTRO to NJOI

4. You will need to clear all your bills + RM50 for the switching from ASRO to NJOI fee

5. Wait for at least one week

6. You are now an NJOI user

*If your channel does not appear after about a week, please call them again.

So, that was how I had my ASTRO changed to NJOI. All done via phone call.

ASTRO channels is FUN but you have to bear the monthly payment.

NJOI saves your money but you have to bear having 29 TV channels + 27 Radio channels.

The decision is yours to make, ASTRO and NJOI both tries their best to serve you better!

All the best to you!

Thanks for reading and dropping at my blog. Please click the follow button and leave your comments I would love to hear what you have to say on the above's matter.

See ya. Bahasa Malaysia version of this post shall be available in the next entry.

Till next time.

ADAM JODRIE

(PERFUME SELLER / BLOGGER / BOOK WRITER TO BE)

Reset and Start All over

Me with my travelling cap making my way to Fio's house

Me without my cap

Hello people. It's me again. I consider this as my first blog post updated from my rent house here in Sebauh, Bintulu Sarawak. I'll get to that part later.

I took this photo with my two niece early in the morning before I made my move to Fio's house at 6.30 in the morning.

This would be one of the thing that I shall miss most of the time now that I am back at my workplace.

So, as we all are aware of, the Covid-19 Pandemic has affected us in every possible way and school is one of the party affected by it. We had our MCO enforced at the end of our last school break back in March 2020 and it has taken a long period till June. Teachers have been summoned by the Ministry of Education to be back to our schools by 9th of June 2020. So, we did. Me and my two other colleagues Fio and Afi made our way back to Sebauh, Bintulu on Sunday 7th June 2020. My two little brother sent me to Fio's house at 6.30 in the morning and we departed from Samarahan at around 8.00 in the morning. I had only about an hour sleep the night before so I felt drowsy the whole time. Not getting any dinner the night before and no breakfast that morning itself made things even worse. I wish I could stay awake the whole time we were in the car since I was not the one driving and to show courtesy of giving me a ride but I was feeling under the weather.

Upon reaching Sibu.

Getting our food at Marrybrown Sibu

Sibu mall

My food. Btw, I love social distancing. :)

And our dinner as we reached Bintulu town. I had this Bakso at Soto Nur, J5 Bintulu.

To be honest, the idea of going back to the workplace and get back to work isn't the best thing I had in mind but that's what we called as duty calls. And this job that we are given are not just a job but a trust and responsibility that we had to carry with respect. So, trying to not thinking bout the bad parts, I decided to look at the bright side of it.

The first steps in changing the whole vibes into a positive one is by planning on what is there to do and how things should work. So, I decided to come with a list of things to do to keep my sanity still. Not that I am insane, LOL.

So yeah, that is what I will be trying to keep up with for the next few days or weeks before things could finally feel normal.

It feels good to be back to this rent house where I get to have more space for myself but of course there are price to pay for. One of the biggest difference that I will surely miss is the time and chance for me to spend with my family and siblings. This MCO has given me such a great opportunity to be at home for almost three months which was the longest period I ever had eversince I started high school, went to uni and a working adult now. There was of course time when we will be caught up in arguments and stuff but that's okay because whatever it is, we are one big family. That's the true meaning of being a family.

Our front porch at our rent house

And the messy living room. PS: Those are all my clutters. hahaha

Anyways, going back to this whole get back to work part, the ministry had made an official announcement that the school will be back in business starting from 24th June 2020 for the Form 5 and the Form 6 students. So, our school is included too for the form 5 students. It means that we have about two weeks left before we get back to work. There will be a lot of things to do before the school will be finally ready. So, as for now we teachers shall be waiting for the next order from our superior. 

Being here at this rent house is a totally different thing but I am trying to get my feet on the ground and improve things for something better. I am so used to writing blogs and my novel back in our parents house in Kuching. I am so used to the routine of reading my books with the surrounding at home. So, everything is considered new that I shall learn to find the space and time here for my books reading and novel writing.

I guess that is all for now. Till next time. Adios.

With Love,

Adam Geordrey

(Author to be)

Another Scholarship Application Rejected

Hello and good morning.

As the title of this post speaks for itself, yes, I have checked my application for the scholarship and it was rejected. For this particular scholarship, it was my first time applying since the requirement was you need to have at least three years of working experience. Unfortunately, I am not one of those who have what it takes to be selected for the interviews as a first time applicants. 

This was shown upon checking for the result. :(

For the record, so far I have applied three different scholarships and this one is the third.

I applied for Commonwealth Scholarship to the UK in 2018 and I didn't get through. I made a post on this too last time. For the second trial I went for the Chevening Scholarship to the UK application but it was also declined. I applied for this one in November 2019 and got the rejection email in February this year (2020). So, for the third one, I applied for Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan (Cuti Belajar Bergaji Penuh Dengan Biasiswa) and it was also declined. So, now, I had officially applied for three scholarships and they are all declined.

It was indeed a sad thing to think of but at the same time I know that if it were to be an easy one then everyone shall get through for the scholarships right? Well, as much as we hate it but guess what? There is no such thing as free thing in this world. By hook or by crook, we would have to work really hard for it and it means that different people have it in different ways. So, at the end of the days all we have left to choose is whether we are going to find an excuse to be blamed on our failure or we could also take it as another obstacles in making our dream comes true.

I know myself well enough that things are not always going to be easy. Not that I had always had things easily coz obviously it never is but that won't stop me from keep on trying. As long as I live and as long as I have the strength to, I shall keep on trying. If God has his plans for me then I shall figured out what it is/was. So, giving up and stop trying surely not the answer to it though we all know how short life is that we may or may not be able to get what we want by the time we had to leave this world behind.

This should not be a post of expressing rage or disappointment rather it should be something to keep burning that oil of determination and kindle the spirit of hope.

Well, do drop me a message if you have any ideas or information on what other scholarships or opportunity that I could get to pursue my masters. For a little details on my education background, I hold a Bachelor of Education in TESL earned from University Malaysia Sabah and I am planning to pursue my masters in either TESOL, TESL or Applied Linguistics. Do contact me if you have any suggestions or ideas on how can I get my masters funded. Thank you very much.

Well, I guess this is it. So the search shall continues. In the meantime, I will be focusing on writing my debut novel, get it done and make it published! That's my 2020 biggest goal so far (apart from getting the scholarship that is now officially declined).

I am reachable via Instagram (mewziqbeads) or Facebook (Adamfi Dafi).

Till next time. Bye.

With Love,

Adam Jodrie

(Author to be / Believer)

Writing A Book in a Diary Form

Hello people, as I logged into this blog of mine, I realised that the entry that I posted before this one was not even read by anyone yet which means that this one may as well be unread but still, I chose to write up and get it posted.

So, as you all know I am currently working on my very first debut novel which is about 80% completed but still under the first draft. I know that I should put more time and effort in writing it up and finish the novel as soon as possible instead of working on the next one. However, knowing myself better I know that I should get the second project started while I am still having that drive in me. 

Just so you know, the second project I am working with is written in a diary form. Down below is the short paragraph I wrote on the first page before I even get the writing started. I wanted it to be clear that this is how it shall turn out to be, a diary.

I decided to write a story which shall be written in the form of a diary. I choose to make the story line remain a secret and let the whole writing journey itself reveal the story of the main character and what his diary was all about. Date and time used may be aligned to the present time but there may be some changes or flashback to be written in the future. So, bear with me.

I was so enthusiastic about it that I even come out with my own cover design along with how I shall call this book. For the time being I have no intention of changing the title of the book. So, that is how I should call it once it is ready to be published. It is so irony that I haven't even decided on the title for my debut novel and yet I have decided for the one that I myself are not sure when it shall be completed or ready to be published. However, since I want to choose the right title for my debut novel, then so be it. I am listing every possible title that later on will be chosen as how my debut novel should be called.

On the other side, since I have designed the cover for the new one I am working on, I am going to upload it here and share it with you guys. Let see how do you think of the cover. As for the cover, I am not sure too whether it shall be used as the real cover for once the book is done but for now I am going with the one I had designed. I loved it. Hopefully you do too.

This is the cover for my new book.

There you go. The cover that I designed myself. What do you think? The title of the book is Belial Gadreel. And it is a diary written from his point of view.

As you all know, diary or journal is something people keep to write down all they wanted which mostly are secrets in their own heads.We hold so many things underneath our mind and those are things called secrets. Since those information are highly secretive, it gets hard for us to keep it to ourselves but at the same time, spilling it out to everyone or even anyone would be the least favorable thing we would want to do. That is why, we ended up keeping a diary or a journal so we could have 'someone' who would listen to all that we had wanted to say not knowing writing it down is the first step to revealing the secrets and risking it to be known by those whom we may not want to.

That one paragraph is the extract of how the writing of the diary initiated by this one and only guy called Belial Gadreel.

Well, I hope you are excited about the book as much as I am. For this one, there is no pressure in getting it done as soon like how I treated my debut novel but it would be really nice if I could finish it within this year too, along with my debut novel.

So, I guess that should be it for this post. Thank you for dropping by and read stuff on this humble and infamous blog of mine.

It's 4:37 am right now and here I am wide awake while everyone has gone to bed having their sweet dreams under their peaceful night sleep.

Till then, bye.

With Love,
Adam Jodrie
(Author to be)

New Normal Pros and Cons - COVID-19

Hello readers! I am back for another entry. I was supposed to sit before the laptop to continue with the novel writing but I am not so sure if I have the strength needed for that matter at the moment. Well, not because I am tired of writing or thinking but I do believe that in order for me to have the strength to start/continue writing, I should be in my most comfortable state. Well, I believe every writer would have said the same thing. I mean, I can just push it but that may not be the best thing to do for it will surely affect the way each word are typed and of course the way every ideas are arranged. Getting the novel done is of course the main goal but I do not want to do it just for the sake of doing it. I want to write something that I myself would love and hoping that my readers would love it too. How would I expect the readers to enjoy what I write if I myself are not enjoying what I wrote, right?

Going back to the topic as mentioned in the head above, I believe we all are now having our new normal due to the impact of the Pandemic that we are mostly staying home and adapt to the new normal of doing everything from home. Workers are working from home, students are studying and learning from home and there are also front-liners who may have to work extra hours due to the pandemic. This is our new normal. To me personally, there is a pros and cons in the new normal caused by this pandemic.

On the positive side, as I have mentioned in the previous entry, I get to be at home as this is the longest period I ever spent at home while having no extra needs of waking up early to go to work or even to spend extra hours in the afternoon on the weekdays or weekends as I always would since I am officially working from home. I will normally prepare my online quizzes generated using the google form for my students to learn my subject while staying at their respective home. I have shared one of the quiz I prepared for them in my previous post too. I purposely prepared maximum of 20 Multiple Choice Questions because I want them to learn in a more flexible and less pressured atmosphere. I know that their other subject teachers have been giving them works to do too, so I do not want mine to be a stressful subject or a burden on top of the other subjects. Now that is one of the new normal as an impact of this pandemic.

I was really happy when the book has arrived safely in my hand!

Another thing that I would feel really grateful as an impact of this stay-at-home trend is, I get to read more on Wattpad, my novels (including Chicken Soup for The Soul - the one I least favor) and of course working on my very first English novel. On the writing part, I was super excited when I first began and trust me I still am. I may felt a little tired having the same routine daily which felt exhausting of working the same thing everyday and all are done at home. I kind of blame the 'being at home' all the time while trying to manage everything from works to personal stuff is a little too overwhelming. I am saying this because I literally feel that the only source of my connection with the outside world is by scrolling through my social media account or watching the television. It does not feel as great as compared to meeting real people in the real outside world. But then again, I know that this quarantine and lock down is for the sake of everyone. I am just expressing what I feel personally and it has no intention of blaming anything or anyone. I do not want to be too stressed out with what's happening, so I believe by sharing it on my blog writing like this is one of the way for me to avoid from being stressed out, or worse go nuts. Government offer counselling services if we need someone to talk to. So, if you feel stressed out and have no idea on who to talk to or how to deal with your emotions, please go and seek for their help. Do not be skeptical to see the word HELP because HELP in this sense does not means you are problematic or what, you just need someone to trust, listen to you and understand your situation, there is no harm in that. We all need that someone right? If we could not find one from our circles of family, friends or even social media friends, there are counselors who are more than willing to help. Who knows it may turn into a real friendship? We never know right? So, do not hesitate to call for help if you have such problems or issues. Or you can try to write a journal or just blog it like I am doing right now. You shall feel better after you have done so.

Open it as fast as I could as I was super excited to see how it looks like!

Anyways, I would like to share on the books I purchased online from Bookurve. I have received the parcel and as they mentioned in our WhatsApp messages, they will be sending the first two and the other one shall be delivered after the MCO is ended. Now, on the two novels that I have received. I was so happy when they postmen stopped at our gate and delivered them to me. Being a book lovers much, I could not wait to open the books and so I did. As usual, I never dig into the book before getting them wrapped. Thanks God that I found all the stuff needed for that matters. So I did. 

I never let the book go unwrapped, not reading before wrapping!

Actually, I do not want to start with a new book for my reading routine but I just can't help it. So, I grabbed the one of the book that I purchased online and started reading. To be honest, I do not feel the price RM89 paid for this book worth the quality of what I have received. I am not so sure why; it could be since USD converted into MYR that I have to pay so much for such a thin book. Not only that, the font was terrible to the eye of the reader (me in this case). There are too many repetitive words and narration which seems to be done purposely to make the story longer but obviously not as interesting. The cover was a little to exposing that I have to make it covered with something so it would not seem to be too erotic because the story was not that kind of erotic. Well, can't help it but people do judge the book by its cover. I read about two or three chapters and almost approaching the middle part of the book. I had to stopped before I ended up finish the reading and regret over my RM89. I still have the Chicken soup book and I am still reading one or two stories daily to make it more sense in my reading and of course in the effort of finishing the book.

This is the one I mentioned. Thin, terrible font and sad paper/book quality with the price of MYR89

Now, here's a little update on the English novel writing that I am currently working on. As I typed into this entry I have written about 40,487 words so far in the novel I am working on. The goal is to reach 50,000 words at least or making it goes till 60,000 or 70,000 or 80,000 the maximum I should be writing. It's actually almost there but I am kind of not into into writing as much lately but I must keep writing if I want it to be published as soon as possible. Finish the writing then editing and more works after which is more fun I suppose. Do pray for me so I could have the strength and ideas to keep on writing.

Anyways, I was thinking that I should do book review on the one that I have read. Was thinking of making a vlog for the review. Should I? Well, see how thing goes.

That would be all for now. Till next time.

Love.

Adam Geordrey

(Author to be)