
2018 was a year of learning and development, career-wise, for me. I feel so fortunate to rejoin the workforce with my present employer. Not only have my company invested a lot in my education with excellent training/courses, I also got to travel. Being part of the admin of Dulu Lain Sekarang Lain and having read a lot of readers’ comments, I know there are not many companies that are as supportive as my current employer.
2018 in Perspective : Career-wise
My on-the-job training involved travelling and being weeks away from home. Initially, the thought of being away from my family for such a long period was so distressing and stressful that my health was adversely affected. But I gradually learnt to think positive and made efforts to improve my lifestyle. Conscious eating, easy workouts, etc., helped a lot. As a result, my medical check up yielded such an excellent report that I was able to relax and gained weight. How ironic!
Besides having the opportunity to develop my knowledge and skills from the best persons in the industry (my awesomely helpful and supportive senior colleagues), I also got to spend 16 days in Tokyo gleaning HR-IR knowledge from knowledgeable and experienced professors and HR practitioners from various countries. Being small in stature, experience and skills – I was incredibly awestruck, and truly grateful.
Visit Tokyo 2018
That pic was taken almost a year ago when I was visiting Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo – barely 8 months after I rejoined the workforce. It was truly an eye and mind-opening experience. My face adored the cool winter but my hands and legs did not. Probably because my face received ample loving care from my team of skincare products.
Clothed in that RM10 shawl (yes, I skimp on my tudung) and my sister’s winter jacket (I loathe to spend money on clothes, but I did get myself some winter clothing), hauling that huge (& free) stylish Clinique platinum totebag, and strolling in my durable and comfy Christy Ng’s sneakers – I felt blessed. Not many women are afforded this opportunity after several years of being a housewife.
I am really thankful to the Japanese government for fully funding the program and to my boss for literally pushing me to grab the spot. And all the other participants were incredibly awesome as well! Though I was the only participant from Malaysia, and the only Muslim women in the class – I never felt alone.

Presenting our host with a letter of our heartfelt appreciation
And at the closing ceremony, before the presentation of our certificates, I was ambushed by my fellow participants! They conscripted me to give a speech on behalf of the class and to present our host with a letter of appreciation. I should have been speechless, but I managed to string a few words to make an impromptu speech. Phew!!! The honour and trust they bestowed upon me at that moment touched me so deeply that I almost cried.
Family Day in JB
At the end of 2018, I attended the company’s Family Day held in JB, accompanied by Hubby. The kids couldn’t join us because they had their classes, industrial training and other activities that weekend. So Hubby and I got to travel together without the kids, for the first time in 20 years!
There were plenty of games and activities. Most importantly, we got to bond with staff from HQ and the other branches, and meet their families. For our efforts, team spirit and incredible sportmanship, all teams got gifts comprising soaps, dishwashing liquid, detergent, fabric softener, etc. Everything for the home. Not bad, right? Considering the number of games we participated in and the amount of tepung I swallowed! 🤩
Aside from group activities, we also visited Legoland, with all expenses paid by the company. The food there was delicious and very expensive (RM60 for those). Although it was a rainy season, we managed to see most parts before the downpour. And I also walked around in that Lego rain poncho.
After waiting for half and hour with no hope for the rain to stop, we moved out of Legoland and visited Puteri Harbour. I think my kids would definitely love Puteri Harbour. The atmosphere was very youthful and vibrant. We received free rain ponchos there.
Year of Gifts
Besides getting free rain ponchos at Puteri Harbour, I won these group of gifts during the Family Day lucky draw event, and then received that powerbank from one of our clients. So, from zero powerbank, I now have 2!
And I also received many free planners, skincare gifts and samples at the end of last year. The planners were a revelation to me. I now know what type of planner is perfect for me – the contents, the size, etc.
Year of Slow Reading
Reading is imperative. What started out as a hobby, now has become a necessity. When I was a housewife, I read only what I want or like. Now, I make it a point to also read for pleasure, not just for work. When it comes to non-fiction books, I am a very slow reader. This year, I read non-fictions by:
- Dave Ramsey – The Total Money Makeover (completed twice, and still has lots of steps to follow),
- Marjorie Kelly – The Divine Right of Capitalism: Dethroning the Corporate Aristocracy (read twice but cannot complete – awesome ideas but too complicated to follow), and
- Dorie Clark – Reinventing You & Stand Out (still in progress).
I also tried reading a couple of fictions, but in the end, this was the only fiction that I was absolutely engrossed in. Took me a while to start reading it but once I started, I find it hard to stop. I borrowed it from the public library and finished reading it within days.

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick – a movie adaptation may be in progress
Now that I have, more or less got into the rhythm of things at work, I am striving to improve myself with the help of Dorie Clark’s books – ‘Reinventing You’ and ‘Stand Out’.
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Dorie Clarks’s Stand Out (covered with the original plastic wrapping from Bookxcess – recycle)
Reading and implementing the relevant points in those books are among my 2019 aims. By the way, I bought ‘Stand Out’ at BookXcess while ‘Reinventing You’ is an ebook (because I can’t get the book locally). In fact, before I bought the ebook, I have perused the hardcover at the library’s reference section.
I highly recommend these books for those who are starting/or thinking of starting a new career, transitioning, or merely seeking to improve their performance at work. They are both easy to understand and relevant in embracing IR 4.0.

Dorie Clark’s Reinventing You at the Sabah State Library
Skincare in 2018
In terms of my skincare routine, I am excited to be a part of Tribe Insider of Annmarie Skin Care. There are monthly gifts, activities, tips and special offers all year round. Among the gifts that I received from ASC since joining the Tribe Insider last October are the book (The Four Agreements), their recently released Illuminating Pearl Mask:

Annmarie Skincare Samples & Travel Size Products and The Four Agreement (Insider members’ group reading)
and also these wonderful samples:

Organic & Natural Samples for Annmarie Skin Care Tribe Insider
My favourite things from ASC are the multi-purpose Aloe Herb Cleanser and gloriously sweetly scented Herbal Facial Oil. The ASC Skin IQ Quiz is remarkable at helping me make the right choice for my skin. This is where I splurge, not on clothes or gadgets, but on getting the right skincare.
Craft Therapy
Crafting sessions are a form of therapy for me. Though I have been inactive in this area, I have not been idle. Here are some of the hats I managed to complete in 2018. There are a few more but I forgot to take pics before I gave them to friends and family.
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Simple knitted hats
Adsense 2018
Although our blogging activities have dwindled to only a few days per month, Alhamdulillah, our Adsense income is not much affected. We are still able to make withdrawals at least once every two months. Overall, we may not be rich, but we are happy, healthy and grateful.
How was your year 2018? I hope you’ve had an overall wonderful time as well. Here’s to another wonderful year in 2019!
ejulz
semoga tahun 2019 membawa lebih banyak kenangan berbanding 2018 🙂
Zurainny Ismail
Aamiin…tq dear 😀 Tapi nmpknya thn ni, awal2 lg dah ada cabaran – demam & batuk!
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Auni
Such a good summary to have all the 2018 memories in a page of your blog. After all, 2019 is here..wish you an awesome year with more good memories to remember.
Zurainny Ismail
Yes…praying for better times this year – better climate, peace, prosperity, health, etc. Thanks ya! 😀
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roseline
I was reading A reliable wife. This book was very hard to get into. I kept thinking it was bound to get better, so I kept reading. but It never got better. While reading this book, I keep asking myself “why are you still reading this?”. It was a dark, depressing story, and the characters seemed to have a thirst for sex with underlying mental illness.
Would you like to follow each other? If the answer is yes, please follow me on my blog & I’ll follow you back.
Zurainny Ismail
You are so right! It is a story about troubled, depressed and repressed people. I like crime/mystery dramas such as Criminal Minds, The Sinner, Mindhunter, etc, even the cheery ones like Sherlock & Elemental. I get intrigued by the foundation of the characters. I guess that’s why I was so engrossed. Yes, let’s follow each other but I think I need to tweak this blog a bit to be able to do that.
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Zumal
Semoga keindahan 2018 berulang lebih indah di tahun ini
Zurainny Ismail
Aamiin….Insya-Allah 😀
Zurainny Ismail recently posted…Online Shopping for Shawls at Radiusite and J Labella Atelier
mrhanafi
selalu bersyukur in shaa Allah reseki biasa bertambah..
i am sorry can’t make a comment in English too much due to lack of skills…
BTW…life must go on and happy must carry on in coming year 2019
Zurainny Ismail
Hihihi…you’re English is ok bah Mr Hanafi. Antara sebab blog kami bilingual ialah Adsense – supaya hobi ni blh generate better income. Kadang2 penat jg bila kena adjust kpd keperluan Adsense & google yg sentiasa berubah. Tapi berbaloi.
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ejulz
pengalaman terindah.. semoga 2019 membawa lebih banyak kenangan terindah 🙂
Zurainny Ismail
Thanks dear, you too. Yg kureng indah, kita tolak tepi ya… 😀
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Fifie
What a great experience that u had been go to tokyo. Love the photo 🙂
Zurainny Ismail
Thanks dear 😁 Meeting the people & seeing first hand the Japanese culture is really inspiring.
Zurainny Ismail recently posted…2018 in Perspective
Wan Syahida
nice sharing!!!! smoga 2019 lebih meriah.
Zurainny Ismail
Insya-Allah… 😀 Last year gempak PRU, thn ni apa pulak agaknya…?
Zurainny Ismail recently posted…2018 in Perspective
Rose
Nice reminiscing of 2018.
Love the Photo taken in Tokyo.
Happy New Year to you and family. Hope for a better year for everyone!
Zurainny Ismail
Happy New Year Rose! Yes, we are definitely looking forward to a better year. I purposely left out the tempestuous months between March – Sept, the months leading to & after the GE were quite overwhelming.
Zurainny Ismail recently posted…2018 in Perspective