Work Related : Skillshare Scholarship 2017

Oh, oh, oh!

Last week I received an email from Skillshare stating that I won their Skillshare Scholarship by Mailchimp! So I received a one-year premium subscription :D

How did I win this scholarship ?

1. I've been using Skillshare Premium on and off, every time I received a promo or referral.
2. I wanted to use Skillshare more so I tried to search for an alternative. 
3. That's how I found Skillshare Scholarship list
4. I applied for Mailchip Scholarship for Small Business (explaining and answering their question about how I started my business and how I've been using Skillshare to help me improve my skills)
5. And after a few months, I received an email saying that I won the scholarship !

I was so happy that morning when I read the email !

I've been taking a lot of awesome classes by remarkable artists, designers and illustrators. Some of the classes are very fun and useful. 

Try for one-month FREE :

You can try Skillshare Premium for FREE in one-month, just click here to register.

Classes that you can try in that one-month :

• Making your First Zine by Kate Bingaman-burt (Illustrator/educator)
• All classes by Aaron Draplin (Designer)
• Classes by Mikey Burton (Illustrator)
• Freelancing for Creatives by Margot Harrington (Freelancer)
• The Art of Ceramics by Helen Levi (Potter)
• Wildlife Photography by Konsta Punkka (Photographer)

Note : I'll update the whole list by time, because I'm still taking classes during my work-time. 

Little Stories 9 : Chewing Gum

This man loves to stick used chewing gum under random table. Every time he does that I felt a little annoyed.
He asked me :

Why does it matters? It is so small, no one cares.

I do. I tried to explain about why small things matter to everyone. IF we put 1,000,00 people with the same attitude together, the small problem will eventually turns into much bigger problem. Imagining much bigger picture will help, because we can't change everyone's attitude, we need to change ourselves first. It is the closest we can get to help anything. 

The small chewing gum, or the small tissue paper and candy wrapper, everything matters. It shows how you see and approach life, how you care about environment and how you tell yourself who you are. So it matters.

Because I see these little things and I care.

*

Several days later, we saw something on the roof top of his car. I asked him :

What is that? 

Later on, we found out that someone stuck used chewing gum on his car.
That is exactly what I was trying to explain to him before. Sometimes God gives you much clearer way to explain stuffs so you can see better, that is by metaphorically speaking : in your face!

Karma. Ha.

*

Lesson 3 : Search for Happiness

< Continuation from previous post >

I'm currently reading Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord.

*

Taken points from his book, I'm going to share his findings :

Lesson 3 :

Many people see happiness only in their future.

This is a lesson I need to learn. I always, always, always, think I can be happy when I achieve my dreams, so I am working hard for my future. Instead of living in my current life, I am working for my cloudy future. 

Well almost everyone does that, aren't we all? We spend of daily life, weekly life, monthly life, yearly life, to have a better future. Money for marriage, money for new house, new car, future children, their education, travel expenses, more entertainments, etc. You drag your feet every day to work, doing jobs that you are not even interested in. For things you want in the future.

I guess putting my happiness in future Paris was a mistake. I should live my life, today. Not tomorrow, not the week after, not in next June. 

*So, I should pack my bag and go to Paris exactly right now! 

Aha. I wish I have the guts to be that reckless.

*Back to work*

*

Lesson 2 : Search for Happiness

< Continuation from previous post >

I'm currently reading Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord.

*

Taken points from his book, I'm going to share his findings :

Lesson 2 :

Happiness often comes when least expected

People love surprises. I used to think that I dislike surprises, because I've never really experience it so I chose to assume it doesn't feel that good. But it feels reaaaaally good, I can assure you.

Imagine, you walk in a store for window shopping like you normally do, and then someone drag you to the counter and say : " Congratulation, you are our 100th visitor for today, you will receive a RM 100 voucher to spend on anything in the store. Have fun! ". *That is the most random thing I can possibly think of right now, and it is super cliche'. But there you, a possibility of having something unexpected. It can lighten up your day!

When we are least expecting something to happen, and it happened, "Boom!", adrenaline flows fast, your heart races, you will blush/laugh/smile/cry, those are the FUN part.

PS : But gimmick, for me, is a mood spoiler. I hate gimmicks.

*

Lesson 1 : Search for Happiness

It's still new year and I'm aiming for 25 books to read by the end of 2012. I'm putting reading slot for my daily routine, in hope of giving some chances to reading once again - no matter how occupied I am with works. 

I just finished reading Jodi Picoult's - Sing You Home last night, after keeping those last 2 chapters for a month. Now, I'm currently reading Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord.

*

Taken points from his book, I'm going to share his findings :

Lesson 1 :

Making comparisons can spoil your happiness.

I think it's obvious, when we keep on comparing our lives with others, our achievements, money, fame, houses, phones, cars, and all those things - we will feel less fortunate in life. Sometimes it is hard to remember that we have to be thankful all the time. And comparing yourself with others will only make us feel bad. 

Creating happiness should be personal. You don't have to share it with others if you don't feel like it. Because it's different and subjective for each people. It can't be measured. So, stop comparing. 

If you feel happy living in a small flat being surrounded by all your action figures and comics, don't let anyone else make you feel bad about it. It's your way of being happy.

If you feel happy spending hours every night watching Korean dramas, then it's okay.

If you feel happy learning foreign language without any specific reason other than improving your knowledge on languages, then be it! 

Ignore those people that say : you are not living your life. As long as you are happy, then that's good enough. Don't spoil it by comparing it with anyone else.

*

Things I learned from Books 1

I learned about Osteogenesis Imperfecta from one of Jodi Picoult's book : Handle with Care.

It is also called 'brittle-bone disease'. It causes your bone to crack so often, even if you just sneeze in wrong way. You bone will be so fragile, you can't do any active activity. Major symptom would be multiple bone fractures from young age *compared to osteoporosis that usually attacking elderly. 

Not only it is genetic disorder, it is also autosomal dominant disease, that means you will get the disease even if you carry only one copy of the gene. 

*

PS :

I love the way it sounded. 

Imperfecta obviously means 'imperfect' and osteo means 'bone'.
So it is imperfect bones? I can't think of what genesis means in the name.

While osteoporosis is the combination of 'bone' + 'porous'.

Don't be a Writer.

Yes.

Don't be a writer if you are afraid of other people's reaction on what you write. The reason you write something is usually because you want to share your thoughts and opinions with everyone. Living in this world where we can't stop what other people feel and think, you should already know the consequences before you start writing.

People judge. 

Some might disagree. 

Some might get offended to some extent where misunderstanding occurs.

I've been afraid of writing all my life. I've been putting walls around me. Just because I thought I was respecting everyone's differences and my thoughts are just some thoughts. My blogs were plain dull and factual. I don't show emotion. I was a hypocrite in disguise. Creating a world where I respect everybody and keep my mouth shut. 

I hide my sarcasm.

Don't be a writer if you are such person. Too afraid to point out what you feel and think. Don't be a writer if you can't show your attitude and personality. Don't be a writer if you are too afraid of other people's reaction. Don't be a writer if you will just cry under the blanket when you receive some hatred mail from people with different way of handling disagreement.

We are different. 

Writing means you are sharing some pieces of you with the world. A writer needs to be ready for the consequences. If you are not ready, then don't write. There is no point of writing something and deleting other people's comments when they disagree with you. You are supposed to embrace critiques like your best friend, because that will help you improve. 

No one is perfect.

If you just want praises and flowers all your way to becoming a good writer, just stop. Because you are just living in your imagination.

*

Other article :

Why You Hate Writing by Robert Bruce

How to Learn New Language ?

This post was taken from my previous travel blog.

It is never a waste of money to learn new language especially while you are still studying, that's when you have all the time in the world. It is not very hard compared to passing A-levels Biology test with flying colour. All you have to do is give some efforts & practice!

Here are some tips that might help you learn new language :

a. Go to language classes.

There are many institutions providing courses, if money is not a problem, you should take qualified certificate, for example from British Council (English) or Alliance Francaise (French). Not that I'm saying other institutions are not good, but while you want to learn something, it's better for you to learn it from the best. Learning language from native speakers are much better when you want to learn right pronunciation and accent.

b. Buy exercise books.

If you can spend your weekly money to watch movie or go to karaoke, surely you can spend some money to buy a book. One exercise book is enough for a start. Do weekly exercise, and make sure you finish it. 

c. Podcast

There are a lot of free podcasts on itunes. My personal favorite is Coffee Break : French. This way, it gives you other way in learning language. It is much cheaper than going to classes. You can learn listening and pronunciation better. I listen to 2 podcasts daily while working, using ear-phone ( each podcast will take about 5 minutes ). Easy, right?

d. Read 

For a person who just started to learn foreign language, this can be a tough task. You can start by reading short articles from your text book, stories from children books, and simple blog posts online. You will catch familiar words here and there, familiarize yourself with their words formation & grammar.

From my experience : After years of 10 years of reading excessively in English, I hardly use dictionary anymore and my vocabularies expanded extensively :) I can watch English movies without subtitles and understand it without any strain of muscle.

e. Speak

Oh yes, using the chosen language while speaking is another good way to practice. If you have a hard time finding people that can understand the language you are currently learning, just use simple phrases instead : such as greetings, and such. This way, you will also indirectly teach them :)

f. Rewrite
I found this method quite useful. Maybe because it is easier if you combine several senses together while trying to remember something. In this case, you will use your eyes to see, your hand to write, your lips to say it out loud and your ear to listen.
From my experience : Keep a small book to write all your new phrases and new words. Write in it daily. As for me, I've been doing that since my school days for English, so I've collected about 2-3 notebooks full of new words learned. My dictionary used to be my bestfriend.

written based on my experience.
Feel free to share your learning experience.