Nik Nur Khairani

For many people, the word “meditation” conjures up images of a two-hour “om” session in a room filled with candles, the scent of patchouli wafting through the air. While it would be nice if we all had a couple hours to focus on ourselves, and an unlimited incense budget, for most of us that’s not remotely the case. If you’re like me, your time is filled with work and family and all of the other little things that make up a day. You don’t have two minutes to meditate, it seems, much less two hours. But by learning to make do with the opportunities that present themselves throughout the day, you can find a few nice meditative interludes to help get you through your schedule.

The benefits of mindfulness are legion. Meditation and imagery are used to treat all sorts of physical ailments, and the stress-busting powers of mindful practice are becoming legendary. Western science is finally learning what Eastern practitioners have long known – the mind and body are inseparable, and paying focused attention to both has a positive impact on both physical and mental health.

“Sure,” you say, “I’d love to meditate. That all sounds great. But, I’m too busy just getting through my day to sit cross-legged in some room, humming to myself. That’s for gurus and retired people!” Luckily, you don’t need two hours, you don’t need to sit cross-legged, and you don’t even need a room. There are ways that you can gain the positive, healthful, relaxing benefits of meditation without even missing a beat in your busy day. I call this “Menial Mindfulness.”

My favorite menial mindful moments come when I’m doing what used to be my least favorite task – washing the dishes. We have a large blended family, and there’s no shortage of dirty dishes in my kitchen, ever. I used to struggle to motivate myself to get the dishes done. I’ve learned to use the time as a peaceful, centering interlude. It all has to do with slowing the breath, and opening the senses. Here’s how:

-Start with acceptance. The fact is that you have to do the dishes, and at that moment in time, you’re at the sink. You are going to do the dishes whether you fight it or not. So, think about this as analogous to your entire journey of change. There are menial tasks on the road to changing yourself. Here’s some great practice in how to embrace those tasks as you work toward your goals. Breathe deep, look at your task, and get ready to dig in. It’s a feeling that you’ll get to know.

- Approach your task with love and gratitude. If you have a roof over your head and a sink in which to do your dishes, there are many, many people who would give just about anything to be in your place. You are upright and breathing, and you are capable of washing dishes. This puts you in a position of privilege, and it’s worthwhile to remember that. As you continue on your journey of change and self-improvement, don’t forget to be thankful for what you’ve already got.

- Use all your senses, but especially your sense of touch. Many grounding/centering exercises use touch to bring us back into our bodies. Pick up the first plate, and feel its weight in your hands. What temperature is it? How smooth is it? How do your fingers feel when you grasp it? Turn the water on, and use your senses to experience that. Take your time… feel the warmth of the water, the smooth slickness of the soap, the texture of the dish scrubber. How does the soap smell? How does everything look?

- Keep returning to your senses. At some point, probably sooner than later, you’re going to want to escape into your thoughts. You’re going to want to race through this task and get it done so you can move on to “important” things. As far as your self-improvement journey goes, though, it’s hard to imagine anything more important than learning to gratefully accept whatever task you’ve been given in the moment. All self-improvement gains start with acceptance. It’s a wonderful skill to work on. So, as you hear your thoughts intrude, telling you that you need to hurry, asking you where the money is coming from to pay the bills, quiet your thoughts by returning to your senses. Feel that mug in your hands, slippery with warm soapy water. Express gratitude. Rinse. Repeat.

- Generalize your learning. What works for dishes works for walking down the block to the coffee shop or driving to work. Try a walking meditation, where your focused breathing and mindful attention to the feel of your shoes on the pavement provides your center. Life is a meditation, if you make it that way. You can refresh your mind any time you’ve got a menial task at hand.

Try menial mindfulness for yourself, with these ot other daily chores. If you find one that really works for you, share it in the comments.

“Intentions compressed into words enfold magical power. “ - Deepak Chopra

 It does not have to be January 1st to give yourself a chance to make the most out of your day – and your life. Every day is a new day and a fresh start to learn, grow, develop your strengths, heal yourself from past regrets or hurts, and move forward older and wiser. Every day gives you a chance to reinvent yourself, to fine-tune who you are, and build on lessons of what you have learned. It is never too late to change things that are not working in your life and switch gears, instead of thinking in the same old ways, hoping for a different outcome.Be nimble, be flexible, and keep and open mind to start each day anew! Flexibility is the key! Ask yourself: How do you wake up each day? Do you start your day going already feeling pressured and rushed? Do you go through the morning routine without much thought at all, doing what you “have to do” to start your day? How about starting each new day with a moment to stop, breathe and think of a positive intention for the day. Think not just what you want to DO, but how you want to BE today? Each day is a new beginning and a blank slate. How would you like to create your day? Think of it as a blank canvas – what would you like to paint on it. What can you create? If you wake up in a negative mindset, you are more likely to paint a dark picture throughout the day, and your canvas will not reflect hope, happiness and joy. If you take each day to think positively, and have a positive intention for how you would like to create your day, how would your life be different? What positive outcome can reflect your positive intention? What can daily positive intentions do for you? •Every day you will give yourself the gift of an “attitude of gratitude.” •Visualizing how you would like your day will help release positive energy from within you and you will attract more positive energy from those around you. •Instead of spinning your wheels in an old way of thinking, each day is a chance to reframe and re-look at things in a different way. •You can experience each day an awe in the beauty and creation of the world – and the beauty of you who is in it! •You find yourself shifting from an “”I can’t mindset” to an “I can” mindset.” •With a focus on positive intentions, you feel more empowered and more like a “victor” than a “victim.” •You are more mindful of the present, and will be more likely to live fully in the present each moment of each day. After all, the past is a great place to visit, but you don’t want to live there! So how about starting each day taking a moment to think of a positive intention for the day? Each morning, write it down and reflect each evening on how you did! Here are examples of Positive Intentions: “Today I would like to replace my feelings of annoyance towards my co-worker to feelings of acceptance.” “I am looking forward today to focusing on what I am grateful for in my life, rather than what is missing, and express gratefulness to others.” “Today I want to slow my life down and take time to savor the moment, especially with my children” Using each day to recommit yourself to positive thinking and intention will help you create the life you want and that you deserve!

there are a lot of first time happened to me since i was in University Technology Malaysia (UTM). the first thing is when i enter the UTM...i feel wah!!...this university is huge and at the registration day, i saw the big words of my faculty which is "FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN ELEKTRIK" when my brother rode along the road to my hostel which is Kolej 9..so i feel really proud of my faculty because from a distance we can see the words that situated on the hill. second, my classmate are not at the same age, i think in all my classmate have the same age just like ak my former school and also my classmate at matrikulation of Kolej Mara Kulim or we just called it KMK. besides that there is also my first time when in my class there are a lot of guy than girl, my class just  have 8 girls including me with 21 or 22 guys..argh...in my life  when i was schooling the number of girls is out of guy and in KMK my class is just like balance with 20 guys and 21 girls. then i have no roomate before this...i had been so sad because those who have roomate always walked with their roomate because their roomate is also their classmate...but for the time being...i don't mind to stay alone in my room...all two locker, two bed, two study table are conquering by me....but out of blue, someone knocked my door and told me "i want to stay with you in this room, i from K11 and tranfer here because there are not far away from here to my faculty" so i don't mind if she want to stay here but all those two thing in my room just only left half.......my roomate very older than me about 9 years and she also aready married...so this is the first time i stay with the person that already married except at home...n be freind with someone older than me a lot...next, there are the first time i have something like my adoted sister...she is 26 years old and are doing phd at faculty of chemical engineering...she is nice and she also bring me to her hometown at muar..this also the first time i go to the house own by someone who are not related to me....there are a lot of food that i have never tried....when we were on the way to back to UTM we were drop by at UTHM for a while to see my freind there... so i'm so glad to make time to see him(my matrix freind)....then there were the first time when i go to my freind sister's weeding with my classmate...

15/10/11

today, i and my friend, ikwani went to taman u at 2 pm. for formating my laptop..so our first stop is amazon technology to formating my laptop..but we had to leave my laptop and then get it at 7 pm. so it's a long period of time for us to stay there and waitng for the laptop..so we had decided to go to jusco because it just a nearby. at the jusco we had lunch and bought something that we think it is important to us. after that we exit from the jusco and i saw a family which is comprise of parent, and two children that is a girl and a boy. the mother is picking up the ubbish from the dustbin because one of their children make the dusbin upside own so the rubbish were scatter at the ground.then their father saw us because we are starring at the mother who pick the rubbish and suddently the father roughly pull his children hand and take the boy away from the mother and his sister. so for me why the father easily to get angry..they just a kid it is ok for them to do a wrong thing so as a parent we should advise them when they do something wrong not just use the power of guy to teach them. next, we saw an chinesse uncle who is sitting at the staircase to minta sedekah. after we had buying all the things that we want at the jusco, we went to other kedai2 that located in front of the jusco we leave the jusco around 5 pm so more or less two hours we had to pusing2 the kedai2 that arrange berderetan. at the same time my friend wanted to buy the cover of her handphone so every phone kedai we singgah to get what her want actually..for the design of the cover. at least 3 to 6 times we just walking around the taman u for waiting my laptop.the second last stop we went is the kedai shoes repairing to repair my friend shoes what make me feel very proud is the cobbler  know how to speak in english..so when i was there two mat saleh come to repair their shoes..so i was pondering that if the cobbler know how to speaking so what is the lack of me until now i feel ragu-ragu to speaking..so if the cobbler can so i also can...kay!!! you can do it!!!! finally, my laptop is ready to take so we went to the amazon technology and pay rm 40 for the formating my laptop then we went to the bus stop at the jusco to back to k9..that all about my experience today=) sorry i can't  any picture for now because my phone does not have camera and the other phone are not fucntioning..bye bye..