I am Muslim first.... Part 3

Bismillah....

Alhamdulillah, it is now the 5th day of Ramadhan but my first day of fasting. The possibility of Raya with family and friends, however, currently looks bleak with the rising number of cases everywhere. So, I decided to go back to Labuan tomorrow with accompanying my mom for vaccination as a reason for interstate crossing. It was a decision made in a hurry right after the announcement that I have to make all the arrangements in two days which include a swab test (RTK is suffice but I got myself a PCR), a written police permission for interstate crossing and also my ticket back. As I was walking under the scorching sun on my way to the swab test area I thought, "This used to be easy~". Indeed, we won't realize something is such a blessing until we lose it, right? But, I have to mention here that although the process is tedious, Alhamdulillah, for my case things were running very smooth. I just dread the swab....

So, what's your Ramadhan routine for 2021?  I don't know if it was just me, but I was fighting back tears on the evening of 1st Ramadhan when I passed by the mosques, looking at how full the parking areas were. It was such a solemn sight last year when all of us were in lockdown during Ramadhan and I even had several Tarawih prayers in the oncall room! This pandemic is a long, hard battle. Some might have it even harder than the rest of us. But we are slowly moving towards win, inshaAllah. 

I've written several times that Ramadhan is a month where I'll miss UIA very much. But I guess those 6 years have shaped the strong foundation for my yearly Ramadhan routine. I will stop all night sports activities for the whole month and will replace them with a brisk walk in the evening. I don't listen to music when I run because I like to listen to my breathing and also the sound of nature (although sometimes interfered by the chatters of uncles and aunties lol).  Yet, during my Ramadhan evening walks I will listen to podcasts in Spotify or talks in YouTube. I'll make sure the volume is not too loud because I still want to have the birds chirping, and the rustling sound of leaves as the background. At night, I'm trying my best to be steadfast with the Qur'an 30 for 30 series. I started with juz 14 of the 1st season because that was where I stopped. Will try to catch up with the 2nd season, inshaAllah.

Well, we are so accustomed with this Ramadhan routine so the whatsapp group will be flooded by all the resources for Ramadhan. We love planners since forever! So for this year I'm trying this one from Qalby. Here is how it looks like. I actually prefer a printed version but I'm trying to be paperless here so I'm making use of this PDF version on my tab.

And there is also this Qur'an 30 for 30, 1st season ebook. After I listened and made my own notes, I'll spend a few minutes reading the explanation in the ebook which gives the concise summaries. And I also love this Doa ebook which I downloaded into my phone for easy access.

So what I want to share actually are these 2 videos that I was listening to during one of my evening walk by Ustadh Wael Ibrahim. I jot down the notes here and my own thoughts on them for easy reference in the future.

Tips on how to be a productive Muslim

WHY we must be productive

1. Life is too short to waste

“O Son of Adam, you are nothing but a number of days. Whenever each day passes, then a part of you has gone.” — Al-Hasan Al-Basri

In reality, our days are numbered and we have no idea when will be our last. Thus, time should not be wasted into things that are not beneficial because we are here to equip ourselves adequately before we are to meet the Creator. If we waste too much time, we might have very few to bring with us~

2. Quality time

By being productive and by having things or work done on time, we will then have spare time for other things that matter like time for family, time for hobbies, enough rest etc

3. Leave a legacy behind

This doesn't mean having your name on the wall of fame. Leaving a legacy here means being remembered and of course we want to be remembered as GOOD. But if we haven't been spending time productively, that's most likely will not be achieved.

HOW to become productive

1. Keep your eyes on the WHYs. 

The list of WHYs to me is never exhaustive and it is personal. I agree that if we are very clear with our WHYs it will be a driving force that will keep us steadfast

2. Fight one battle at a time

I'm a super monotasker since forever so I could really relate to this point. There was a point in my life many years ago when I realized multitasking was not getting me anywhere. I started on multiple tasks but very few were completed and they were not up to the standards that I myself have hoped for. That was how I started to focus on one battle at a time. That was when I totally start to understand that being busy is not necessarily being productive

3. Ignore the pain from great effort

I think this is something that many people find very hard to adopt even myself. We are more incline to comfort or quick gratification thus we ignore anything that could possibly inflict pain although that is the only way to greatness. This is, I feel, a very profound reminder. Nothing great is easy. The greater the challenges, the more rewards await at the destination.

Tips on how to make positive changes in our lives

E- Environment

Find a healthy environment that encourages you for the better. Avoid an environment that exposes you to negative activities or even negative emotions because we will eventually 'become' who we surround ourselves with.

S- Structure

Have a structure and system in place. Rasulullah s.a.w was a man of routine, he planned and strategized his day that every second of his time was always filled with something beneficial for him, the religion and the ummah. It's easy to waste time when one does not plan.

I- Implementation

Put things into action. Implementation of knowledge is power.

 العلم بلا عمل جنون والعمل بغير علم لا يكون

"Knowledge without action is madness and action without knowledge does not exist"

P- People

Have a support system which will help us grow in knowledge and character as well as people who will help us care for our physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.

I'd wanted to schedule this post for later since I just posted 2 days ago but then again I should share this earlier so you can download as well as benefit from this sharing earlier in Ramadhan. 

That's all for now. I'll try to share as much as I could on the things I learned this Ramadhan here and in IG story, inshaAllah. 

Read More

Academic Journey 2: Applying to UK Universities

Bismillah...

So lets continue with my academic journey. First of all, it should be mentioned that this is my second time applying to UK Universities so I'm already familiar with the process and the requirements. At the end of 2014, I applied for MSc Clinical Pharmacology and received offers from King's College London and University of Glasgow. But 2015 happened to be not a good time to leave my family thus I did not continue with the whole process. 

This time around, I applied for the following courses and I disclose to you the results;

MSc Clinical Pharmacy, International Practice and Policy, University College London - Conditional Offer

MSc Clinical Pharmacy, University of Exeter - Conditional Offer

MSc Clinical Pharmacy, University of Strathclyde - Conditional Offer

MSc Control of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - Rejected. Well, it is always frustrating to face rejection of any kind but I guess since LSHTM is a research institute, I think it was my lack of experience in research that made me not a strong candidate for the course.

MSc Epidemiology of Infectious Disease and Antimicrobial Resistance, University of Glasgow - Conditional Offer

So, what should you prepare to apply for UK universities.....

1. Build your CV!

I was told that it is not difficult to get a place for postgraduate studies in UK and that must be true since I always manage to get offers but I think if you are aiming for the world top universities, your CV is very important. I did apply for UCL in 2014, paid for the £50 processing fee and did not get any reply! Was it my CV? I don't know~

It was while writing my CV in 2014 that I started to realize that doing well in your 8-5 job does not add anything into your CV. My CV was very brief because I have no extra projects, I was not a committee in anything and I was not involved in any volunteer programs. I stared at the screen long and hard. It was crystal clear I was an extremely ordinary candidate who had nothing extra to offer, who only had her achievements in the past to impress the readers. And then when I did not proceed with my study plans that year, I started to build my CV. It took me 6 years to reapply for a Master Degree but actually I was intentionally, deliberately preparing for it all along. I always have it in mind and was waiting for my 'right time'.

Again, I think CV is important when you are aiming to enroll into a top ranked university. Logically speaking, it should be one of the thing that will help them identify that you are the stronger candidate than the others, right?

2. Personal statements

This is something that a local graduate would not be familiar with but since this is my second time so writing them was not as hard as the first time. But I did take my time to write, review and edit my personal statement for UCL. Basically, the admission committee would want to see our motivation, our suitability for that particular course as well as our future plans. And it really helps if you read through and understand the course requirements so that you can tally your writing to what they are looking for. I didn't use the same personal statement for every university because the course modules differ greatly. 

There are many samples available online and there are even sites where people will leave constructive comments on what area need to be improved in your personal statement. 

3. Referees

Most universities will ask for at least two referees; one academic and one professional. You can either upload the reference letter into the application portal or the referee can email the reference to the university. But for UCL and LSHTM, the university will send an email to the referees and they must respond within a given period of time. Your application will only be processed after your referees replied to the email. 

I nominated my mentor in university as my first referee and my current chief pharmacist as the second referee. Alhamdulillah, both of them were very supportive, they responded to the emails immediately so my university applications were settled with ease. 

4. Application fees

Well, the thing about applying for overseas Master program is it will involve a lot of money. My IELTS Academic UKVI paper cost me RM895. I applied to two universities that charged application fees. UCL's application fee is now £90 and I paid £50 for LSHTM so that's roughly around RM800. The application fee does not guarantee you a place and you will not get a refund if your application is not accepted. So this is one of the thing that you must consider and be prepared with if you want to enroll into top institutions. 

5. English Requirements

Of course, the universities would want to know our level of English proficiency. For the courses that I chose, most universities required a minimum of band 6.5 overall with no less than 6 in all sections. But for UCL, the requirement is GOOD which means we will need a minimum of 7. So I've written a lengthy post on my IELTS experience and tips before this one. 

When should you sit for IELTS? I registered because I needed something to nudge me to work harder but actually, MARA would want to see the result. Although you can sit for it later and send the result to MARA after the application is closed but then you have to bear in mind, what if you don't score it the first time? I met more people who had to take the test more than once. I don't think it was poor mastery. I think it got to do with the answering technique. Most of us haven't sat for a written exam for years so it make sense that we no longer know how to score with the correct technique.

6. Additional documents

Some universities may ask for additional documents. For example, for the University of Exeter MSc Clinical Pharmacy, there is a special form for the employer to fill to verify our current practice as a pharmacist. UCL asked for the Pharmacist Registration Certificate. Luckily, our license is now in English. If it was not like it was in the past, we need it to be translated by a certified body. You don't have to worry if you missed these additional documents because the university will send you an email to request for it.

I think I've touched all the basics and most important stuffs. 

Why I insist on going to the UK? Yes it's an opportunity for travel but most of all, I want to experience the system. I want to see for myself how different it is from my own setting and is there anything that I can possibly apply back home. Why I'd waited for so long? Of course, there are things to sort out like loans hahaha but I don't want to have a Master just for the sake of having another academic qualification. I'd waited until I really know what I want in my field. But please don't wait for too long hahaha Except for Chevening, most scholarships have age limit and it happened that I have reached it this year so this is the last year I'm eligible to apply for them! Oh tidak! So I really hope I passed this MARA GREP thingy.. Please pray for me!

Read More

Academic Journey 1: IELTS is no joke!

 Bismillah....

Alhamdulillah, at this point of time we are no longer in MCO and I have been fully vaccinated. However, I still can't get my family to come to Sabah because interstate crossing is only allowed for urgent matters and in the case of emergency. I haven't written much on this blog since August, partly because of me being all preoccupied with my university and scholarship applications. I anticipated the challenges but still I admit that this whole process is very very tiring.

I am currently in the tawakal phase, waiting for the result for Graduate Excellence Programme (GREP) offered by MARA. Although my departure to UK has yet to be confirmed, I'm very compelled to share this whole journey because I think one of the thing that have kept me going besides the support I received from family and close friends are the blog entries where bloggers shared the reality of their academic journey. 

When I was applying for Chevening, I looked through the previous scholars' blogs and YouTube channel to look for tips. They were all successful applicants thus their writings were very positive. The narratives, I feel, were meant to inspire others and in some, they even make you feel to be selected as an awardee is easy. Having failed twice, I really haven't figured out what is it that the selection committee is looking for. I guess you must really have an exceptional writing skills to be able to sell yourself with just 500 words hahaha

Anyway, in this first entry I'm going to talk about the International English Language Test (IELTS). Yes, the one that I registered the day after I found out I didn't advance to the interview stage for Chevening. For my case, I needed the IELTS result to apply for MARA scholarship which requires a minimum score of 6.5 and also to convert my University College London's (UCL) conditional offer to unconditional offer where I have to score a band 7. Yes, I manage to get an offer from a top university, Alhamdulillah. InshaAllah, I'll share about university applications in another post.

The first thing to do is to make sure you register for the correct paper. There are 2 types of papers; Academic and General Training. And be sure to check whether the university you're applying to is a Tier 4 sponsor or not because if it is not, then you have to register for the UKVI which is slightly more pricey than the normal Academic paper. I think the British council website is very helpful with the whole process as long as you take your time to read all the information that they've provided. I registered for the UKVI Academic paper since at that time I have not decide which offer to accept. 

The next question will be how much preparation should you make?

I had about 28 days to prepare. Knowing that some people had taken the test several times before getting the band that they needed and considering that my last English test was MUET back in 2004, I decided to take this test seriously. After the registration, I received a confirmation email on my test booking and this was followed by several emails on how to prepare for the test and links to useful resources. 

One that I found useful is this free live webinar on Thursdays. So, for several weeks I would rush home sharp at 5.00 pm to make sure I arrive at home just in time for the webinar. I highly recommend these webinars but do not solely rely on them because these webinars will only assist you to familiarize with the formats and the marking schemes but it is not a practice platform. I enjoyed all the sessions and they were surprisingly interactive and engaging. You'll receive the recording a few days later even if you can't attend to the one that you've signed up for.

Oh! I also downloaded the free study guide and adjusted the study plan into my 'busy' schedule. Yes, I was that serious! My money was at stake if I were to retake the exam. And the intermittent surge of Covid 19 cases caused irregular test schedules so I didn't want to risk it. 

This is where you'll find the information on the format 

For listening and reading, I did some practice at this British Council Learn English website. To be honest, in reality the listening test is much harder. Firstly, you'll be listening to native speakers of various accents. Secondly, the monologues/dialogues are lengthy so you have to maintain your attention. There was this part in which two architecture students were discussing about house designs from different era. They were talking without any pause at a considerably fast speed. I was sitting next to the radio, so it was loud and clear but still I have to quickly jot down the important points. The task was to match the characteristics with the correct houses and there were seven different types! Mind you, the conversations will not be straightforward and will only be played once. I scored a 7.5 for listening.

As for reading, although I scored 8.5 which means I only got 2 to 3 wrong answers, I wouldn't say it was easy. The articles given were long and the questions, from my opinion, are sometimes obscure. My advantage was I can speed read and process the information as I go hence I didn't need to reread the whole article to find the answers. However, I do think this is the section where you can score the highest.

The writing test is where many people had a hard time scoring thus affecting their overall marks. Two-third of the marks will come from task 2 thus more time should be spent on this one. I was lucky to get an easy topic for task 2. The question asked for my opinion on sharing personal details online.  If you look through the past questions, many of them were on first world issues that we're most likely not familiar with. Like what's your take on space exploration? Which is better, punishment or rehabilitation? Eating meat vs eating plants? I did prepare for these kind of topics by reading articles in BBC, The Guardian, The Economist and Reader's Digest. I spent 1 to 2 hours per day reading articles on science and technology, economics, arts and even law. Well, I found it enjoyable to discover all these things that I never knew about like feeding cows with seaweed to reduce the amount of methane when they burp hahaha So I could keep up with the habit and I still read these websites everyday until today hahaha

For task 1, the question that I got was a bar chart. My advise for this section is to study the format, read as many samples as you could and do practice writing with different kind of diagrams. If you could get someone to check for you will be the best but for me, I practiced by writing within the actual time frame and then improvised how I organized my points and my language. The sites that I frequented for this exercise were IELTS preparation with Liz and IELTS buddy. I stick to just these two because I found the techniques that they shared were easy to follow and they have hundreds of sample questions. I think they will also respond to enquiries. How much did I practice my writing? I took a 3 days leave before my exam and I actually manage to use up almost one whole exercise book to practice writing essays.

And finally, the speaking test which consists of 3 parts. The 1st part is said meant to make us relax where the examiner will ask questions about yourself. I was asked about my work, why I chose my career and what I don't like about it. In the 2nd part, you'll be given a card asking about a particular topic and the points that should be covered as you elaborate the subject. Mine was on telling the truth to a friend and how it affected our friendship. I think the biggest challenge for this task is you must continue talking for the entire two minutes. And in the final part, the examiner will ask more questions related to the question on the card and an additional issue. I was asked on my opinion on cheating in sports and the importance of farming in your country.

There was a moment when I can't recall this farming method and paused for a while. Then I just admit that I can't remember the name and went on to describe it instead. For speaking, to improve my pronunciation, sometimes I read aloud articles. For the second part, since I have no partner to practice with, I record myself speaking on sample topics. I actually planned my answers ahead. For instance if I were to be asked about an object like my favourite book, I already have which book to talk about in mind. If I were to talk about someone I idolize or a family member or a friend, I already have in mind the people that I should talk about so this save me a lot of time during the 1 minute preparation period.

Alhamdulillah, I manage to score a band 8 which was my actual target although I only needed a band 7. I purposely targeted a higher score so that I can push myself like the above. Honestly, I think IELTS should not be taken lightly. Take a class if you must. And even if you're confident enough with your current proficiency, do adequately prepare. I was mentally exhausted when it finished and IELTS was the most difficult English test that I've ever sat.

I hope this post will be useful for future test takers (^^)/ Yes we can! 

Read More