Hiking; One of the most intense intimate experiences!

     Hiking trips are rejuvenating and relaxing. Surrounded by beauty and breathing fresh air, the rhythms of hiking gradually banish the myriad concerns that occupy our everyday life. Anyone of any age can hike and outdoor hiking is a great way to improve your level of physical conditioning.

     Since I was a high school student, somebody might say I have my entire life ahead of me, with all of its beautiful outdoor experiences. But despite being so young, I already have a personal breath-taking experience, which I am sure I will carry it with me until my last days; which is my first hike to the mountains.  It all started during my 1^st attempt to conquered G7 mountain which is located along the Banjaran Titiwangsa , where we need to cover 4 mountain peaks; Gunung Yong Belar, Gunung Yong Yap, Gunung Gayung and Gunung Korbu with the total distance of almost 100km starting from Ipoh and ended in Brinchang, Cameron Highland that took us almost 7 days 6 night. 

     That was an awesome experience I ever had, but I will think more than 10 times to repeat the attempt (hehehe). Despite that, I continued my hobby by exploring the highest mountain in South East Asia, which is Mount Kinabalu for 3 times.  There I had the best experience seeing the beauty of different flora and fauna along the track as the elevation gets higher.  Once you step into the place, believe me that you will always make a comeback again and again.

     Though travelling is not a big deal for me today, before my trip to the mountains, I used to be a runner.  It’s a great combination where we can build stamina before we start to climb. I had friends to hang out with, several hobbies, and I felt completely comfortable spending 2-3 days  or even a week from my hometown just to get personal satisfaction  All my demands of this activities were satisfied by the group of friends whom sharing the same interest of mine.   I seriously admit there was a big different between seeing something on the TV or with one’s own eyes. 

     Then, you can realise how much you need to appreciate the nature and preserved our forest for the next generation.   

     With these activities, we can also tighten up relationship between the entire staff member in an organisation as this activities need us to have a great team work.  This is why I came out with this idea and few weeks back, Vision team has conquered the nice and beautiful scenery of the nature. We left all the office work behind and had a wonderful time together.  Hope this team spirit will keep going and give a great impact to all of us in doing task together in the office.

Prepared by,

Mohd Shazly Hj Shawal

Lecturer, School of Business

Vision College

                    

It is not easy to juggle between work and motherhood.

Coming back to the workplace made me feel extremely exhausted in the first month after my confinement. Thanks to still-fluctuating hormones, my mood swings once in awhile and I was easily agitated by small things. 

As a perfectionist, frankly speaking, I want everything come into the perfect manner, that is, parenting to me is not an easy task in terms of following the development of child’s psychology. I think I am lucky enough to have a background of science in psychology to deal with this difficulties yet it is still not piece of cake. I also appreciate that there are supportive colleagues and superiors who helped me to pass through this difficult time.

Throughout the process of motherhood, I am learning how to do my best instead of wanting everything to be smooth and perfect.

Knowing some of my colleagues are going to deliver their precious one, I am here to share some of the survival tips with you....

1. Involve your spouse

Do not be too possessive and too perfect. Make sure you give a chance to your baby's father to get involve in the feeding and care from the beginning. It is good if you get someone to share the “happiness burden” with you. In this process, you might feel unsatisfied with your partner's way of doing things yet always remember that he is in the process of learning as well. Sit down and communicate especially in terms of the “do's and don'ts” in caring a baby.

2.Make time for yourself

It is not easy to manage the work and taking care of a baby at the same time. Being a new working parent can be extremely stressful. What if you need some “alone” time? However, you must have some personal time for yourself in order to recharge yourself. Do have your partner to watch over your baby while you need to have a tea or coffee with friends and colleagues. It is important to be part of a social network and get new friends who are also working mothers so that you will get more external support. At least, you will find that you are not alone in this situation. One of the tips to make sure you care for yourself is identify at least three things that you must do in a week; for example shopping, spending 5-10 minutes in a hot tub, facial and massages, expanding hobbies and so on. Schedule them in your calendar every week.

3. Set a proper routine with your little one during the first few months

It is very important to give full attention to your baby for the first few months because infant needs the sense of security (especially the first two months). Babies learn to feel either secure or insecure in the world based on the relationships they have with the people who care for them. Keep changing their routine will make them confuse. Routines can help your baby to feel secure, being responsive to your baby will not spoiled them yet, it will promote a better attachment between you and your baby. Babies only will show their “Cheeky smile” when they reach almost 7 months old and above. Bedtime routine is important for a baby and there are advantages to get your baby to his or her bed at the same time each evening. Switch off the light and on the dim light or light music, let them learn that it is time to sleep. You may tell your baby a bedtime story, massage or change pyjamas everytime before you put them to sleep. Once they have slept, you can rest at the same time. Lack of sleep can be a major cause of depression and you could not perform in the workplace.

4. Remind yourself you do not need to be a perfect parent.

Once again, it is normal if you have done some mistakes when you are taking care of your baby. Learning from mistakes is a part of the gift in parenting life, as the mother and child are going through a process which enables them to learn more about each other. Mistakes can help your children to learn to get back and keep trying. “Do not give up” is one of the essential value a parent should convey to a child. Through the misstep that has been taken, a child will be more confident to stand up and go forward if the difficult feeling is coming towards them. Give yourself and your baby more space to learn.

Hopefully this four tips are helpful for you to cope with your work and your baby. Enjoy parenting! 

Prepared by,

Xing Jiun Chew

Senior Counselor, Lecturer

Vision College