Why I love working for QuickSchools

Recently, my wife was having some doubts about the career choice she made to pursue her PhD. She was feeling very down, and very pre-occupied with all the obstacles and difficult experiences, while now in her third year of her program. I’m of the firm belief that when things are good, you only remember the good times, and when things are bad, you only remember the bad times. It’s a part of human nature. And this was one of those moments. My wife was really starting to doubt what all her efforts were for.

And so I suggested to her that she list out all the reasons why she wanted to pursuit her PhD in the first place. It was actually a pretty lengthy process for her, as she soul-searched for most of the day. Her first attempt missed the mark, but by the end of the day, she finally was able to put everything together. And I must say she came up with a pretty comprehensive list. And in my view, this list will help remind her of her long term goals, so she does not get too pre-occupied with the short-term obstacles she will undoubtedly face.

So after watching (and assisting in) that process, I thought it’d be good for me to do the same. I may not be in a rut right now, but it helps to occasionally access and evaluate where I am, so that I do have a long term goal in mind.

So here are my top 10 reasons for my chosen path, to work with QuickSchools (which I have since May 2009):

Tracking Goals for January 2012

January has come and gone. So how have I tracked to my goals for 2012. Here are some highlights:

• Have lost 4 of target 25 lbs to lose this year
• Ran 57km out of 1000 for the year (I’m 26km behind going into February)
• Have read translation for first 3 chapters of Quran (al-Baqarah and part of al-Imran). Am on track to finish 30 by years end.
• Multiple posts to (this) my personal blog (mostly on chess), as well as on the QuickSchools blog.

This is what I have not done this month:

• Only managed to memorize half of a new surah (al-Qadr). I should finish this up and start a new one.
• As mentioned above, I am 26km behind on my 1000km run goal for the year. Need to catch up!
• I have not posted anything to my Family Blog or Melur’s YouTube channel.

Let’s do better next month!

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

It’s been a crazy 2011. As you can tell, I haven’t blogged much about it. Too busy, I guess… or no motivation. I didn’t put together a dashboard for 2011 either, like I did for 2010 and 2009. Tsk, tsk…

Anyway, to start off the year, I’ve compiled my goals for 2012, and put them up on a new dashboard for 2012. Check them out at http://www.azroykandan.com. If you’re too lazy to click on the link, here are the goals for 2012:

• Memorize 12 surah
• Read translation of Al-Baqarah
• Run 1000 km
• Run a marathon (or 2 half-marathons)
• Lose 25 lbs (currently at 201 lbs)
• Post 12 articles to gokun2.blogspot.com
• Post 12 articles to gokun2.wordpress.com
• Post 12 videos to youtube.com/melur02
• Win all 4 KCC chess tournaments (I won 3 in 2011)
• Get Arman’s CMA rating to 1300 (currently at 1027)

Wish me luck!

It’s been a year…

… since my last blog post!

Hi everyone,

My last post to this blog is exactly a year ago, when I celebrated my 10th Wedding Anniversary. Yesterday marked the end of my 11th year of married bliss

I just got back from terawikh prayer, and thought I’d put in a blog entry. Which reminds me, to all my muslim friends, Ramadhan Mubarak. Tomorrow, we start our first day of fasting, and I pray that Allah accepts our doa on this blessed month of Ramadhan.

Today, my 8-year-old daughter surprised me with her determination and perseverance. She really wanted to learn to play “Love Story” (by Taylor Swift) on the piano. Up to that point, I used to think that playing by ear either came naturally or didn’t. But apparently, it can be taught. Last week, her piano teacher started Melur on her path, with some basic notes and concepts. Today, she spent an entire hour with me, practicing the song, without any notes, only a lyric sheet. And slowly, but surely, she was able to play the notes based on the melody of the song. I was impressed – I still am.

Anyway, that’s my 2-bits for the day, after a year of silence. Tomorrow is a fasting day, and I’m looking forward to making a few more entries this time around. I really want to talk about my trip to Montreal with the kids last weekend. It was a BLAST!

Have a good night!

10 Years Later

Hard to believe, it’s been 10 years since I got married. In the western world, that’s a really long time. But in Malaysia, marriages typically last a long time (even when it shouldn’t). But being a Malaysian with some western influences, I kind of get the best of both worlds. And I’m grateful to have my wife, my family, and everything else I have in life.