[This post has been staying in the draft since 2017, now only I managed to update them all. Nevertheless, it's still hard to find the good in you compared to flaws, so I'm putting it here so I can reflect back whenever needed]
Assalamualaikum and Hi,
Few weeks ago, I tried to list down 20 good things about me, but umm, I only wrote like 2 or 3. It's so easy to list down negative things about yourself (I can list 100 of them), yet it's so hardd to know what are your strength. So, I cut down the number from 20 to 10 (so lazy to think). Here they are
1. I loveeeeee food and coookinggg!!
Cooking is like therapy for me. I'm not good at it but after a lot of practice, I improved a lot (not an expert yet, but still amazing). I love to try recipes of healthy cooking. My passion is more on that kind of meal because what we eat define who we are, and to maintain our health & shape. However I do try other recipes such as Malaysian food, Korean and etc. You can click here to view my recipe
here.
Fun fact: I become so cranky if I'm hungry. And the key to my heart is via food :)
2. I'm soo patient!
Sometimes I'm think I'm not but after thinking twice I know I am. I'm not a person who swears a lot when I'm angry or on a daily basis (I do but it's like one in a million year). If I'm disappointed or sad about something or someone, I will stay on the bed in my room until I feel better. Most of the time I will sleep and usually when I wake up the bad feelings have already gone. It is not easy for me to get angry but when I do, you and I both will regret it. I am very patient to wait for what I want, like stuffs or person. The only problem is, sometimes being too patient made my inner temper want to explode.
3. A loyal person.
Yes I do. My circle is small and I love to keep it small. It will be easier to manage. For me the most important thing is to be loyal to your family, because it the end, family is the one that will never left. Friends will always be there for you but at one point they can't be the same like before (because of family, commitments and other stuffs). I'm so grateful all my friendship are low maintainance. We're busy living our own lives but always be there for each other when needed. My father said to me, do care for your friends but never overly attached. Overly attached will lead to disappointment. In love relationship, I can say I am very loyal. I've been in relationship for three times in my life. The third time is already 5 years now and I hope it will last forever. The key to loyalty in all relationships is to always tolerate. My relationship had failed after 7 years, and when that happened, I choose to let go nicely, despite the pain. Nevertheless, no matter how hard it is in the relationship, I never left, until I was left behind.
4. I'm independent and responsible
Staying at boarding school since 13 has been making me and independent girl since then. I don't really like to burden anyone with my problems. I used my money (allowance from MARA) to pay for my bills and expenses. Besides, I also started a small business with my sister to gain extra income.
In my final year, I worked at the library at night as student helper not only to gain money, but also to discipline myself to stay in the library and study. The one and only thing I can't do is driving. I don't know why I'm so afraid to drive. Maybe because I am trauma because I used to be so clumsy before this. As I cannot drive, I always depend on other people to go anywhere. Whenever I'm in KL, Selangor or Penang, I definitely use public transport if I want to go anywhere alone/when my friends do not have car. I've tried everything like MRT, LRT, BRT, commuter, monorail and buses. I'm so thankful Uber and Grab exist because I use them a lot when I work before. Thank you to my friends too for driving me around! ❤
Now, as working adult, I tried a lot of new things and manage my own life. Travelling abroad with family and friends, finding jobs, move houses, and manage my financial. I'm nowhere near perfect, but I'm making progress, always.
5. I work well under pressure.
Being the eldest child already gives me the pressure to do the best. Hence, I always work hard to achieve my goals since I was young. I think the point in my life where I start to be really strong to handle stress is when I started studying in Monash.
Although the university is in Malaysia, the education follows Australian system is applied here. For me, the Australian system is quite tough. 6 credits per subject, making it to be 144 credits throughout my degree. My schedules are packed with 2 or 3 lab sessions per week that also requires you to do lab report, many deadlines to catch up and you have to study at the same time, already trained me to handle pressure very well.
In my final year I decide to work in the library as student helper at night. I made a brave decision to do a research project for my elective unit. I really struggle a lot between studying, doing a project and working at the same time. I work so hard at that time and I am blessed with help from amazing people around me. In the end, I manage to graduate on time which is I think quite impossible at first, I did.
Now in working world, my current job is quite pressure because have to multitask, but so far I'm able to manage all the pressure for 2 years.
6. A brave girl
I'm very proud of this one. As a person coming from Kedah, I'm took a big risk coming to KL for my studies. I always heard how KL is a scary place and you might be culture shock there. But Alhamdulillah it was smooth for me. I've been to different parts of KL and Selangor so far, it's been a very amazing journey for me. That's only one example. There are many risks in life that I took I my life that shaped me to be who I am today. And I'm so grateful for that. The brave Adlina Maisarah.
7. High integrity
Another strong character of mine is high integrity. I'm the kind of person that always follow the book/what's right since young no matter how wrong it is. I will always stand for the right thing. That's the kind of person I am until I went to university, I started to be more flexible. I still hold on to my principles, but as long as it's not damaging to anyone, I still can tolerate.
8. Adlina the Explorer
Having the Science trait in me makes me curious about everything. Therefore, I love to explore new things. I will challenge myself to dive in and learn about it until I can manage. Like now, I'm currently typing using the keyboard on mobile phone because typing by touch screen feels so different. I believe out there, there are many interesting stuffs for us to learn. If we open our heart to explore, we surely can manage it well.
9. Reading is my lifeee
I really love reading so so much! I have passion for books since I was kid, but life was so hectic
and busy. When I went through breakup, it was turning point in my life where I started to read again. I never stopped ever since. Then I bought Kindle
(you can read here), and I just continuously read. Start from 2021, I start doing notes of everything I read, because you will forget, so I want to keep notes where I can look through and always remember what I've read. You can read about all the books I've read
here.
10. I will always improvise myself.
I'm a very imperfect person with many many flaws. However, I will try my best to be a better person that who I am before. Be it in career, life and relationships, I'm still improving. I accept critism no matter how painful it is to digest. Then I will reflect on myself and ways to improve. I guess that's the thing I love most about myself.
Woaaah, that's so hard to write. Like I said we are more prone to seeing our weakness than goodness. I guess it's a good thing because it reminds me everyone have their own strengths, which we always forgot. Soooo, Adlina Maisarah, you are doing good, so be kind to yourself.
Till then,
Adlina