Hafiz

Saturday, Jan 6, 2024 Hello, everyone. There are some resolutions that I have carried over from last year to this year, mainly because I didn't manage to achieve those goals. I was on the way to achieving them, but I just didn't reach 100% completion. So I'm bringing some of them into this year. Additionally, there are some goals that I managed to achieve last year, and I want to continue pursuing them this year, albeit with some improvements. So, last year I had 13 goals, and this year I ha...

Friday, Jan 19, 2024 I haven't been recording these days because I've been a little busier than expected. Also, my habits—you know, I usually separate places when it comes to doing things, and the space for me to record and edit videos has been infringed upon. So that's why I haven't been doing much these days, but I just wanted to give you a quick update. This week has been quite bumpy, but I've read more than before, and I'm pleased to share that I've finished two books so far in the month...

Saturday, Jan 6, 2024 Hello again. I want to touch a little bit on my resolutions from last year and this New Year. Overall, I can safely say that I've achieved a little over 50% of my goals. I had about 13, if I'm not mistaken—13 goals, 13 resolutions. Originally, I wanted to have just 12 resolutions because there are 12 months in a year, but I decided to add 1 as an overall, yearly thing, if that makes sense. So, in summary, I've achieved about seven out of thirteen, which is not bad. It ...

Monday, 27 Nov 2023 It has been a while since I last filmed any videos. The videos I recently posted were filmed just before PIPOC, right before my conference. Today, I'd like to continue my conversation partner series. I've discussed Alex and Martine, both of whom are French. Now, I want to talk about someone I've known the longest based on my spreadsheet – my Excel. I've known him for almost two years, precisely 623 days, if memory serves me right. To calculate this, I find the difference ...

Saturday, 18 Nov 2023 Here's another wise highlight that might interest you. It's from the book "When Panic Attacks" by David D. Burns. I haven't finished reading the book yet; I think I'm about 20% through. This book was recommended by one of my conversation partners, a pharmacist in Algeria, whom I'll probably talk about in the conversation partner series. He suggested this book when I mentioned having a panic attack a few months ago, and I can see how it can be beneficial to me. The quote...

Wednesday, 8 Nov 2023 Yeah, I recently visited a mosque that I wasn't aware of. I mean, I had some ideas, but it turns out I was mistaken, to some extent. I went to Masjid India, which is actually near Masjid Jamek. Until then, I always assumed that Masjid India and Masjid Jamek were the same mosques. However, it turns out they are two different places. Firstly, when viewed from a distance, without focusing on the minaret or the dome, it doesn't quite look like a mo...

Saturday, Jan 6, 2024 I know it's been a while. I've got some videos recorded from last year, but actually, for this year, this would be my very first video for 2024. So, I thought because it's been like over a month since I last recorded something, I've recorded one explaining why I haven't been posting for a little while during the month of December. I don't know when I will post that, but today I just want to talk about another highlight. I think it's very relatable because we're in the ea...

Monday, 27 Nov 2023 I think it's probably time for me to discuss the second piece of advice. The first piece of advice was from Bujei, advising me not to give up. Now, let's delve into the second piece of advice. It was given to me at Lansing Airport by one of my seniors. He is perhaps the only male senior I've had who was also taking the same courses and pursuing the same degree as I am—biochemistry and molecular biology. Additionally, he is the only one who took the the International Bacca...

Monday, Dec 18, 2023 Yeah. Sorry. It's been a while actually since I last posted anything on my blog or Instagram or wherever I post. Mainly because my laptop has some sort of problem, specifically in this case, a problem with the motherboard. The motherboard was fried. So that means I have to choose between two options: either I should opt to repair that motherboard, which, in a sense, I don't know how long it's going to last. It could have the same problem in another two years, if not in on...

Tuesday, 7 Nov 2023 I'm currently at Masjid Asy-Syakirin, close to the KLCC. Actually, I'm waiting for Maghrib time; it's going to be in, like, 7-8 minutes. Other than that, I had a long day spending my time at the conference — the MPOB conference. It was a very tiring day. I was there for the poster presentation. I have, like, a long list of things I want to tell you, but I'll probably record another video for that. Other than that, this mosque does remind ...

Saturday, 18 Nov 2023 I've got another Readwise highlight that I want to share with you. It's from the book "Nouman Ali Khan: The Divine Speech." It's a great book, by the way; you should read it. Some people argue that the Quran merely borrows stories from the Bible and the Torah, but that's not true. While it mentions the same personages and characters like Moses and Jesus, for example, the Quran retells the stories in a different way that remains relevant to its context—both in...

Wednesday, 15 Nov 2023 Assalamualaikum. I'd like to share my ongoing conversation partner series, focusing on my communication with Martine, the oldest person with whom I've conversed. Last time, I talked about Alex, the one with whom I've had the most calls, totaling 89. Now, I want to delve into my interactions with the oldest individual I converse with regularly. Martine is still an active part of my conversational journey. Residing, as far as I know, in Fontenay-le-Comte, she previously ...

Thursday, 9 Nov 2023 I'd like to discuss my conference, known as PIPOC. Currently, I'm placing a food order and ensuring it's not ready yet. So, yes, let's delve into PIPOC. Let me review my notes from the first day. I opted for Grab to transport my poster, encountering minor registration hiccups. Despite this, everything went well. Notably, the Grab driver chose to take the SMART tunnel. I've always wanted to go through it since watching a documentary, possibly on National Geographic, detai...

Saturday, 18 Nov 2023 Assalamualaikum. Recently, I listened to a podcast episode—I think it was by the BBC—called "Changed the World." I can't really remember the exact title, but it discusses coconuts and how local people use them in their daily lives. For example, in Sierra Leone, people use coconuts as a biomass source. In the Philippines, they use it as an alternative to an icebox, which I find quite impressive. Specifically, fishermen in the Philippines use it for this purpose. Another i...

Monday, 6 Nov 2023 I'm feeling frustrated with one-sided friendships where I'm the one constantly initiating contact and showing interest. To take control of my life, I've started spring cleaning my contacts, especially with many of my language partners. While I value the connections I've made, I realize our schedules don't align, and we haven't talked for months. So, I've sent them messages expressing my gratitude for our past interactions and explaining that we're both busy. Most people did...

Thursday, 26 Oct 2023 I've got a Readwise highlight that might be appropriate for what I just said about short-term benefits of doing ibadah, like, changing your mindset when it comes to doing ibadah. But this is in French. (From James Clear's book "Un rien peut tout changer"). I will translate it into English later. Kita dah terbiasa sangat dengan perkara yang kita dah berkali-kali buat, benda yang kita selalu buat sehingga kita lupa nak tanya diri kita sendiri, "Adakah cara ini ca...

Saturday, 18 Nov 2023 Assalamualaikum. Recently, I noticed that the font on my blog changed. I'm using Mozilla Firefox, by the way. The font's changed, so I thought it might be on the Firefox's part; they've maybe changed some default font. But apparently, I was wrong because recently, I think Microsoft has changed the default font from Calibri to Aptos. So yeah, they announced they're going to change the default font to Aptos, and I think it looks nicer. Obviously, I noticed it right away ju...

Friday, 3 Nov 2023 Part 1 Assalamualaikum. Today I will go to another mosque for Solat Jumaat, and I think it's called Masjid Al-Hassanah. It's about 5 kilometers from here. I've seen this mosque before, but I didn't have the opportunity to visit it, so hopefully today, yeah, I will go over there today. And yeah, I won't be bringing my camera. Should I bring my camera? But it's going to be difficult because I have nowhere to put it, so I think I'll just film and take pictur...

Thursday, 26 Oct 2023 Assalamualaikum. I'd like to talk about the benefits of doing ibadah, at least the short-term ones. When I was a kid, I was told that it was pertinent to do ibadah for the sake of getting pahala and avoiding hell if we were not doing it. I mean, it can be one of the reasons to do them, but as humans, we are more inclined to pursue something in an even more motivated way when we can experience the benefit almost right away. That's just how our brains work in terms of the ...

Wednesday, 19 July 2023 I didn't engage in any Projek Masjid activities last week. However, one idea that crossed my mind was to do it retroactively – discussing the mosques I have visited in the past. This could be a way for me to keep track of every single mosque I have prayed at and visited. Perhaps during weeks when I don't visit any new mosques, I can create retroactive posts about the ones I have already visited. I'm not sure when I should start, but I think I can beg...

Tuesday, 7 Nov 2023 Assalamualaikum. This morning, I have a poster presentation for a conference tomorrow. I'm unsure about the exact timing of my presentation—it could be either today or tomorrow. Currently, I'm waiting for my Grab ride. Initially, I planned to take the bus and the MRT, but given the uncertainty, I don't want to risk it on the first day, especially when I have to set up my poster. I'll update you on the proceedings for the rest of the day and notify you about the time. Bye b...

Monday, 6 Nov 2023 Assalamualaikum. I wanted to let you know that I'll be around KLCC, at the Convention Center, not in the city center this entire week. If anyone would like to meet up, please feel free to message me, and I'll be there. Hopefully, we can arrange a meet-up. Bye bye. Full video: ...

Thursday, 26 Oct 2023 I've also noticed that when I speak, I stutter. I sometimes struggle to find the right words when I want to talk about something, regardless of whether I'm speaking Malay, English, or any other languages I can speak. So, I tend to use filler words. You know, my favorite filler words? Apparently, when I edit these videos, my favorite filler word is 'so,' and, oh, what else? Obviously, there's another one - 'so yeah,' maybe. So, I'm just wondering and asking all of you, ho...

Monday, 6 Nov 2023 I'd like to hear your opinion on a situation. I'm dealing with a one-sided or asymmetrical friendship where it feels like I'm the only one making an effort. My initial thought is to end the friendship, but that might be too extreme. I'm genuinely seeking advice on how to handle this situation and maintain a balanced friendship. If you have any insights, please let me know. Thank you, and bye bye. Full video: ...

Friday, 27 Oct 2023 Part 1 I will visit another place today, a mosque called Masjid UNITEN. It's closer to my location. I'm not going anywhere super far. I think I will go over here, which is probably the closest one I haven't visited yet. We'll see how it goes. Other than that, I'll talk to you soon. Bye bye. Part 2 I just came back from lunch, and I have to say that the infrastructure here is more bicycle-friendly than most of UPM. It has usable bicycle infrastructure, and ther...

Tuesday, 31 Oct 2023 Assalamualaikum. As you can see I have shaved my beard. One thing I notice is that whenever I shave, two things happen: I definitely look younger, but I also look fatter. For some reason, having a beard makes me look thinner, at least in my face. I don't know. Well, I know one thing for sure: I'm not as good-looking as Florent or Asyraf. But whenever I shave, I will definitely look younger and slightly fatter. I would say, I don't know, maybe it's just me overall gaining ...

Tuesday, 3 Oct 2023 I did mention that I want to talk about some of my language partners, so I think I can start with the language partners with whom I have spoken the most. Give me a second. That would be Alex T.; he was my French partner. According to my records, we have spoken 89 times over the duration of 7-8 months. Unfortunately, we had to stop because he started a new job, and especially with the time difference, it's really difficult to schedule a call with someone from France or some...

Saturday, 7 Oct 2023 Oh my God, I just finished a call with my supervisor, and she was so upset. She was so angry at me for something I just said to her. But then, for some reason, like, I don't know how I managed it, I managed to diffuse the situation nicely because I used all the principles that I have learned and read from this book, actually. I don't know if you've heard of 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' by Dale Carnegie, but it worked beautifully. So usually when someone's ang...

Thursday, 26 Oct 2023 As usual, I feel the need to share something. There's been someone who's consistently looked down on me, almost like a daily routine. It's quite literal because it's my phone's lock screen. If you were to see my phone, it's there. Sorry if the focus isn't cooperating; it might be because I'm on the screen. It's me looking down on myself. I thought setting this image as my lock screen would help me use my phone less, but that hasn't really worked. The one thing that has ...

Tuesday, 3 Oct 2023 Speaking of the three pieces of advice I mentioned earlier, I'll talk about the first one. I received this advice from my dear friend, who also has my name, Hafiz. Hi, Bujei. Thank you for advising me. You gave me this advice 8 years ago, and I remember it distinctly. I visited you in Kuala Terengganu right after our graduation ceremony in IBMCKK. It was sometime in August. My family went back to Kuala Lumpur a couple of days earlier than me because I decided to stay a da...