December 31, 2012

Self-Reflection: #2013Resolutions

In my last post, I blogged about my personal #2012Reflections. Today, on the last day of 2012, I will be noting some of my #2013Resolutions.

Here's the thing about resolutions. To me, resolutions are not about setting insane goals that seem almost impossible to achieve, and then being demotivated or discouraged so much that you can't even be bothered to even work to achieve them. That was my mistake for the past 25 years. In 2011, I only set ONE resolution. Not only did I achieve that one goal, I also achieved goals I didn't even know I had. It took one simple step. To step out of my comfort zone.

For 2013, I'm going to put everything that I've learnt back in 2012 into practice as well as grow personally and professionally.

First of all, I'm going to work at maintaining my body, and *hopefully* lose a bit more. I had no idea that I was going to lose that much, nor do I have any intentions of looking anything like the girls in America's Next Top Model. I believe that part of my success was being realistic about my goals. So I signed up for OBC back in January, and once tomorrow comes, I will be going back to my 'reducing junkies' plan, and choosing the healthier stuff :)

Then, there's my personal KPIs for motivationMY.com and inspire.fm. I aspire to have approximately one post/interview within a span of 2 months. This means that I should be producing at least 6 interviews and 6 blog posts in the year of 2013. I don't think it's unachievable, nor do I think it's over-achieving. I think it's achievable and I'm nothing less than excited to make it happen :)

Well, for 2013, those would have to be my main goals. Everything that I achieve aside from these would be the icing on the cake.

I had a great 2012, and I look forward to an awesome 2013 :)

Love always,
DancerGal Sheryl!

December 24, 2012

Self-Reflection: #2012Reflections - Personal

MotivationMY.com founder, Syafique Shuib, has been posting on twitter with a hash tag #2012Reflections. Some of you may have seen it, some may not. Anyway, the goal of the tag is for us to figure out what are some of the biggest things we have accomplished or learned in 2012.

For me personally, 2012 was a big learning year for me. I learned a lot about myself. There were some struggles of course, but the best part about struggles is that you learn how badly you never want to go back :)

I accomplished a few big things in 2012. The biggest one being me losing 2 dress sizes. Yes, I used to wear an L, and now, I wear an S or M, depending on the cutting. :) I won't lie by saying that it was a piece of cake. I worked my ass off for it. Attending Bootcamp regularly for at least 8-9 months, committing myself to at least one run a month, watching what I eat, no junkies, drinking lots of water (which I used to hate!). It wasn't easy. But back in October, I wore a bikini to a beach in Penang. That had to be the highlight of my weight loss. While I have some work to do in terms of toning, I am very pleased that my discipline and determination got my body to this. I feel fitter, healthier and definitely more beautiful :)

Aside from the weight loss, I also discovered what really makes me tick. As many of you may know, I am a relatively huge nerd. I am totally into the game 'Star Craft 2: Wings of Liberty'. I have been playing the game myself for about 1.5 years now? I realized that my enjoyment into the game has gone beyond playing. I am able to appreciate the efforts that pro-gamers out into the game as well as personally make the effort to catch reruns of tournaments (as most of them happen while I'm either at work or teaching!) and personally analyze game plays. I, myself, have stopped playing for a while now, but I am still very much into reading news and learning more about the mechanics of the game. This really makes me get a sort of high that I can't feel with any other thing in my life. :)

Also, in 2012, I started being more involved in MotivationMY.com as well started hosting shows for Inspire.fm :) These are semi-career based stuff, but I realized that I should put this here as well, because I feel like this is my passion. Something, like SC2, gives me a high and a sense of joy that I cannot feel with any other thing that I do. The satisfaction that I get from reading a post that I wrote or listening to a podcast that I host, is just plain amazing!!! The joy of reading "by @sherylhosulynn" or "hosted by Sheryl" is plain high. Such joys are simple and plain and cannot be retrieved any other way. :)

I also learned in 2012 the type of person I consciously do not want to be. I don't want to be the typical air-head bimbo whereby I can't hold a conversation with. I wanna be able to speak of historical events, political, financial, social, etc. I want to be able to have healthy debates without holding grudges against the person who disagrees with me. I want to be able to form my own opinions by doing constant reading and constant research. I want to be more involved in the world and be more in tuned with myself. I am glad that I've found great people that I can talk to and have healthy debates with. I'm also learning a lot from the same bunch of people. You know who you are :) Thank you for being in my life :)

I had such a great 2012, but it became amazing with SammoBammo in the picture :) I believe that I've had some struggles in terms of my insecurities and I believe that I have grown in terms of the relationship and looking forward to 2013, I just want to enjoy the company and the life together. Thank you, SammoBammo, for a great 2012, and here's to an amazing 2013 ahead :)

Reflecting on 2012, I realized that I have learned so much and grown even more. Looking forward to 2013, I don't want to say that I should stop learning because I believe that the learning never stops. It doesn't stop and it doesn't end. But in 2013, it's about putting everything I've learned in 2012 to enhance my growth and to give back.

It's been a great year, but I am definitely looking forward to an amazing 2013 ahead :)

So what's your #2012Reflections?

Love always,
DancerGal Sheryl!

November 16, 2012

Self-Reflection: Passion vs Commitment!

Something drew my attention to this particular topic as of last night.

Passion vs Commitment. 

This can be used in reference to many things. Friendships, relationships, career paths, interests, and basically anything that involves YOU! 

According to Wikipedia, Passion (from the Ancient Greek verb πάσχω (paskho) meaning to suffer) is a term applied to a very strong feeling about a person or thing. Passion is an intense emotion compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something. The term is also often applied to a lively or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity or love – to a feeling of unusual excitement, enthusiasm or compelling emotion, a positive affinity or love, towards a subject. It is particularly used in the context of romance or sexual desire though it generally implies a deeper or more encompassing emotion than that implied by the term lust.

According to the same source, Commitment is the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc.. It is also known as a pledge or an undertaking. A commitment is never supposed to be broken, if it is broken; that means it was never a commitment rather was just a pretention and lying. Commitment may refer to:
  • Promise, or personal commitment
  • Contract, a legally binding exchange of promises
  • Brand commitment
  • Involuntary commitment, the use of legal means or forms to commit a person to a mental hospital, insane asylum or psychiatric ward
That being said, you can actually be committed to something without being passionate about it (cos seriously, who would be passionate in a mental hospital?), but my question to all is: 

Can you be passionate about something without being committed to it?

I ask this because it has come to my sickening attention recently, that I feel totally and completely passionate about blogging, social media, and other stuffs, but I honestly only have 24 hours in a day. There's only so much I can take. But because I am committed to something that I am not passionate about, I can't commit myself to something that I'm passionate about. It's ironic isn't it? 

And I realized, that this connects to relationships as well. I will not speak for myself, but I have come to realize that I have too many (and when I say too many, I actually mean "TOO MANY"!) acquaintances who tell me that they are staying in a relationship for the sake of staying in a relationship. That's being committed without passion. And to that, I say one thing... 

IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK! 

In general, anything, be it relationships, friendships, career paths, and whatever else, if you're not going to be passionate about it, it won't work out well. But then, how do you leave or ignore your "commitment" without looking like a total jerk? It's basically impossible. So what should or can you do? Pray that time passes fast so that you can just leave. 

What about those like me who are passionate about stuff, but can't afford to commit to it? :( 

I don't really know how, but at this moment, I know that I am passionate about many things which I cannot afford to commit my time too. So what am I doing about it? During this time, I continuously try to strive and learn more about the stuff that I am passionate about and hopefully one day, get to put all this to good use. I am honestly (well, in my personal opinion!) very positive about this because I can see my passion paying off someday. Till then, I will just have to wait it out. 

The most important thing to keep reminding yourself about is that nothing is impossible and that if you keep driving for your dreams, no matter how bad the circumstances may seem, one day, it will come true :) 

Keep striving with passion, and one day, your ideal of passion and commitment will come your way! 

Love always, 
DancerGal Sheryl! 

November 12, 2012

Self-Reflection: Motivation, Inspiration, Encouragement...



Being involved in MotivationMY.com and Inspire.FM, kinda makes me wonder...

Do I deserve to be called "inspirational" or am I in the right position to motivate others?

Generally, motivational speakers tend to be people who study social science or are licensed psychologists. There are also motivational speakers like Nick Vujicic who have lost everything, worked their asses off, and then gained everything back and more, which technically qualifies them to be motivational speakers. But what about me?

In all honesty, my family isn't rich, but I have generally lived a privileged life, which in turn, makes me quite snobbish (only in certain aspects though!). I have definitely been blessed in many ways, which then leads me to question myself on how I can motivate, inspire and encourage others? But then, I realized something.  While I have nothing to offer in terms of losing limbs or losing all my money, I do have much to offer considering that I'm a 26 year old with a professional job, not out wasting my life on drugs and alcohol, living my life exactly how I want it to be, without all the drama. And obviously, about 13 years ago, I would have never thought that my life would end up this way.

In between 1995 and 2003, I was a horrible friend to have. I disliked people in general, and only had my nose in books. Not textbooks, of course, but story books and novels. At the age of 15, I was already reading books like Harry Potter, CSI, Lord of the Rings, etc. Thick books which take me to a place that wasn't Malaysia or Kuala Lumpur. I didn't speak much to others, and I refused to speak in any other language other than what I considered to be my mother tongue, English. If you didn't speak English, I wouldn't speak to you. Simple as that.

I may not be inspirational or motivational or encouraging in the sense of losing something then earning it again, but I honestly do feel like I've finally started living a full life and I could not be prouder of myself.

I honestly believe that EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE has something to share. Unless you are sitting down and wasting your life away, I believe that at some point in your life, you would've achieved something.

This is what motivationMY.com and Inspire.FM have helped me realize. While I know that no one is perfect, I also know that we can and are able to learn from one another. It's about sharing our experiences. Our ups and downs. Let's help each other and spread more positivity and joy! Let's help make ourselves happier and more cheerful. :)

At the end of the day, I believe that it's about what we want to do for ourselves. I believe the question to ask would be, what do you want to do?

I am grateful for the platform that motivationMY.com and Inspire.FM have helped to provide. When I read and listen to motivating and encouraging stories, especially when I have a bad day, it makes me realize that there is no point being sad for too long because there is just WAYYY too much to be happy about! I am ever so happy when I read about a story or listen to an inspiring interview for the person telling the story! :) It never fails to make me smile :)

So my point. Everyone is positive in their own way. Do share your positivity with me, motivationMY.com or Inspire.FM because everyone deserves to feel like they are positive, encouraging, motivating, and inspiring in their own right!

Love always,
DancerGal Sheryl!

October 16, 2012

In the life of DancerGal: My FIRST ever DEEJAY gig!!!

It was a bright and early Monday morning, where I had taken a one-day annual leave. Thoughts in my head?

"Tidur, Makan, Main...." 

However, I was awaken by a whatsapp message by Mr. Producer of Inspire.FM (P/S: he's one of them in the photo above!) that asks if I could come in and stand in for Mr. Host of The MotivationMY Show (also in the photo above) !!! The following feelings literally RAN THROUGH my body when I saw that message:

  • Shocked
  • Surprised
  • Happy
  • Nervous
  • Excited
  • Scared
I was finally getting a shot at doing something that I've always wanted to do... HOSTING! But there wasn't even a guest, so I asked if I could interview SammoBammo4 on "Creative Education". It's a topic that I am currently very interested in, and who better to ask than a teacher himself? :) So Mr Producer gave me the green light. So I thought that was it. 

I walked into the studio with SammoBammo and was a freakishly nervous wreck. I nearly wanted to punch myself. My nerves kinda got the better of me. But I am so hilariously lucky. Mr Producer made the podcast sound good, Mr Host said I did okay, and SammoBammo said I did well for a first timer! :) 

Credits: Inspire.FM

Credits: motivationMY.com


You can listen to the final product here

Here's my personal review of me (could this sound any less narcissistic??)

I did okay considering that it was a last minute thing, but I am glad that it happened :) This will only push me to grow more in terms of hosting and being confident of my own voice. 

I cannot thank Inspire.FM and MotivationMY.com enough for giving me this opportunity to grow, learn and hone my love for talking! I will continuously push myself to do better and my next podcast, will only be better than the one I did before :) Thank you once again for the amazing collaboration between the two best platforms that have allowed me to come to where I am today. 

It was definitely the experience of a lifetime, and I simply cannot wait to push myself to the limits and do my best to what life is willing to offer me :) 

Thanks again to the following people: 

Syafique Shuib, Founder of MotivationMY, for believing in me :) 

Kum Gheng, Producer on Inspire.FM, for guiding me through :) 

Hisham Hamzah, SammoBammo, for being my first guest :) 

Thank you so very much for the amazing opportunity. I really don't know what else to say except thank you. Gratitude beyond expression. 

Credits: Inspire.FM



Love always, 
DancerGal Sheryl <3 nbsp="nbsp" p="p">

October 9, 2012

Guest Post: @HishamHamzah "I Hate Exams"


Editor's Note: This is my first ever guest post! :) Thank you, Hisham Hamzah (SB4) for your generous contribution. I found this quite interesting, because I never believed that I was stupid even though I kept not performing in exams. :) Also, this is SammoBammo's first blog post! Support by following his blog! GO GO GO! Read the original post here...

Like today's student, I've probably said this myself when I was their age. I hate exams. And now that the exam season is upon us, twitter, FB and blogs are alight with such sentiments and comments.

Credit: technorati.com


But now, as a teacher, shouldn't I love/like exams? After all, when I was a student that was what I thought. The teachers must love exams! Why wouldn't they if they are always giving so much emphasis on it?


But the truth is I do hate exams, but for different reasons. I don't hate setting papers and grading them, those are pretty straight forward tasks although a tad tedious at times. I don't find them a useful assessment tool.

I tweeted a few days ago "A few pages of questions doesn't give me a clear idea of whether you are smart or not, whether you get it or not". As I set papers for testing, I have to make choices from which part of the syllabus should I pick from, because I obviously cannot test every single chapter/topic/concept. The "logic" is that, since the student doesn't know what would be tested, the student should study EVERYTHING in order to have a chance at passing the paper. So from here, the exam itself is suppose to "force" learning.

To me, that is the weakness right there, how can you force learning?


Credit: speakitalianmagically.com



Learning must stem from curiosity, a thirst to find out more and more, and that must originate from the student. My struggle is to find as many ways as I can to bring out that curiosity in every single one of my students. I don't think I have succeeded completely, and I'm constantly making mistakes but I have a strong feeling that this is a struggle that I am suppose to go through as a teacher, and there are far greater teachers at Cempaka who have gone through this struggle, year after year, with amazing stamina, dedication and commitment. I cannot bring myself to consider them colleagues, they will forever be my teachers.


Credit: cempaka.edu.my

At this point I must comment on how I felt when my first class graduated last year, and the feeling I had. It dawned on me, my former teachers who are still going strong in Cempaka have had this feeling every year since my time. People ask why be a teacher... hell... why not! It is addictive. I kind of get it when the younger players at United say they want to emulate the careers of Scholes and Giggs now.

Returning to the topic of this post, why I hate exams, I feel that it puts huge pressure on students that does not proportionally reflect the student's true capability, intellect and most important, curiosity.


Of course, to simply disband traditional examinations might be greeted with huge outcry. There is no standardised way of assessment, a benchmark to compare our students to, which can be used for entry to higher learning institutions. Well, to that I respond, why would you want standardised testing if it only produces standardised products(students) that would be completely useless in a future economy that will thrive on innovation, creativity and, yes, curiosity.


Solutions then? What can we do? How can we have an assessment based system that challenges our students much like the real world would? Is that not the true assessment we should be aspiring for? Instead of dumping students into the real world, we need to slowly expose them to its challenges and demands, develop skills of thinking critically, expanding their creative capabilities and starting that thirst for new knowledge, that curiosity, that will drive their own learning.


But firstly we must understand one thing, failure is inevitable, we will not get it right the first time. But we need to be open to new things, we need to have the resources to pursue new ideas and innovations, utilize new technology, reach others on a global scale, and we must be allowed to fail while doing so


Without failure, there is no success.

S.B.4

August 28, 2012

In the life of DancerGal: Hitting the "Refresh" button on "LIFE"

It's almost the end of August. Here's my updates for the past month or so...

Haven't been playing SC2 for the longest time, let alone Diablo 3...
Haven't been to Bootcamp in TWO months...
Haven't been blogging, although I have THREE half-written drafts...
Haven't been running (at least 10km!) within the past two months...

My fitness is BLERGH...
My SC2 level is BLERGH...
Not to mention, feeling FAT and LETHARGIC almost everyday!

So, what exactly have I been doing the past couple of months? Working, sleeping, eating.

So what's the problem? The problem is, I AM NOT HAPPY!!!!

So, what can I do? Time to hit that "Refresh" button. Wait, what?!

Credits: blog.cachinko.com

Yes, you heard me right! I'm going to hit the "Refresh" button on my own life, and it all starts TODAY! Spent about 4 hours plus watching MLG last night (Leenock was declared the Champion :) Mr Chubby Cheeks 
Credits: majorleaguegaming.com

Hence, yesterday at SammoBammo's place, I collected back ALL my gaming gear (mouse, keyboard and headphones) and decided that I would spend AT LEAST an hour a night training. Watching MLG made me realize, while I dream to be like them someday, it will never happen unless I do it myself! :)

Having being a fan of StarCraft 2 for quite some time now, it's been taking me a very long time to get to where I am... While I understand the game relatively well, my mechanics are REALLY BAD! Why? All because I never really bothered to put in the effort. Well, no more. From now on, every night, at least 2 games I will play! All in the name of self-development of eSports!

Then there's my fitness level.




It's been two whole months of Bootcamp that I have missed. Went back today. Felt like CRAP! Threw up in the middle of a circuit. But here's the thing. After throwing up (ok, maybe I should stop saying that so that you don't feel nauseous!), I felt like this wasn't me. I don't want to be like this. I want the Sheryl/DancerGal who could pull off an entire session and even go out for a movie after. I want the Sheryl who watched what she ate, so that she didn't feel lethargic/fatigued after the session! I WANT THE OLD ME BACK!!!

There is only ONE way to doing that, which is actually GOING BACK and doing all that!

Then, there's my barely updated blog.

As most of you may know, I now (should technically) be a regular contributor on the MotivationMY blog. Guess when my last post was? Pathetic.

So with that, while it may be a very tiring move, a very bold move, it's time to hit the refresh button on my life! How?

1. Starcraft 2: Make the effort to play more, train harder, and just simply not make excuses. Watch more streams (where possible) and watch more tournaments (speaking of which, I am downloading the GomTV app for Mac so that I can watch GSL! BOOYAH! :P )

2. Bootcamp/Fitness: Train harder, watch what I eat, and (DO MY BEST!) not to miss any sessions, participate in more runs, and make a conscious effort to train my runs with SammoBammo. Push myself in OBC sessions and make sure that I don't go easy on myself!

3. Regular updates and contributions: Consciously make the effort to contribute to AT LEAST one post a week! Writer's block is a LAME excuse and should not be used in Sheryl's vocabulary!!!

4. Miscellaneous: Try your best to not screw everything else in the process!

Sounds impossible? No, it's not, and it won't be! Wanna know why? Three simple words: FOCUS, DETERMINATION, and PASSION! I love and enjoy all of the above! I want to be better not for anyone, but for myself!

There is no room for "second best" or "complacency" in my life. Either you work your ass for it, or you get stuck living a mediocre life. Your choice.

Before I end my blog post, do find below, some encouraging posters that I hold very personally and it could not get any better than this (source: http://www.facebook.com/StrongIsTheNewSkinny/photos_stream)








Love always,
DancerGal Sheryl 

July 27, 2012

In the life of DancerGal: Fasting for the very first time!

For the first time in my entire life, I am trying to fast during the Ramadan period. Well, many people think that it's because of SammoBammo. SB may be a very small part of it, but I also wanted to find out what my other Muslim friends go through on a yearly basis. Some of you may not know this, but aside from SammoBammo, I do have other Muslim friends, YOU KNOW? *sarcasm*

So anyway, I've asked around, proudly announcing that I'll be fasting, cos honestly, I thought it was quite cool! Little did I realize, the condemnation that was going to happen to me.

As most of you may know, I am a Christian. I come from an Anglican church. Notice how I didn't use past tense? This is because I still consider myself a Christian, regardless of what people say. Well, people tried to discourage me and blame SammoBammo for "trying" to convert me. This is complete and total nonsense! Anyway, I just basically had to buckle down and just do it, while ignoring all the negativity that's happening around me. Something I could do fairly well, with all my friends (Muslim, of course!) encouraging and motivating me :)

It's been 3 days of fasting. Day 1 was REALLY tough. I took my first meal at around 7am. Yes, I know it's not the proper sahur, but then again, I wanted to take it slow. So I told myself that I wouldn't eat for the rest of the day. By 4pm, I was thirsty and hungry!!! I honestly couldn't tahan, so I took a cup of Iced Chinese Tea. It was upon my first gulp, that I felt like such a useless person. And please bear in mind, I'm not doing this out of any religious beliefs whatsoever. Yet, I felt so.... incompetent?

It was at this point, that I truly admired all my Muslim friends. If you don't believe me, I even asked some of them, "How did you do this?". I got many answers. It was quite amazing. So on the third day of fasting, I told myself that I would try and do the full day, as in wake up for sahur and all that. So I did. Woke up at 5am, prepared myself some oats, and had that for "sahur". Went off to work, and I was due for dinner with SammoBammo and his family. It was a very simple home-cooked meal. But you know what? It had to be the BEST dinner I've ever had. Why? Because I had lasted the FULL DAY! I was so damn proud of myself. :) It meant that it was possible. The feeling you get when you buka with your friends/loved ones, after fasting with them a whole day long, is just amazing!!! :)

Since then, and even right now as I'm typing this, I am fasting. I encourage each and every Malaysian at heart to try it. Even if not the whole month, do it once and arrange for a nice buka meal with your friends <3 It truly is an amazing experience. :)

Love always,
DancerGal Sheryl

July 21, 2012

Nothing is impossible!

As a Cempakan, I've always been taught (well, for the 2 years that I was studying there and for the 1.5 years that I was was working there) that "NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE".

With that, I recently took that term to the extremes when something amazing happened to me :) I really believe now that nothing is impossible! I will update when possible, but I've got my OMG and Oprah moments! Know that this is FOR REAL! <3

"Nothing is impossible" - Dato' Freida Pilus
"Anything is possible if you just believe" - Pinocchio 

Special SHOUTOUT to www.motivationMY.com and www.inspire.fm <3 THANK YOU VERY MUCH for the opportunity and the motivation, inspiration and encouragement! :)

Love always,
DancerGal Sheryl

July 7, 2012

#SaferMalaysia - Being safe by feeling safe!

Recently, our social media has been filled with news/ statuses/ shares/ etc about people being mugged, robbed, stabbed, etc. It's quite depressing really.. as if you look at it from a different perspective, people are being so "desperate" that they'd resort to robbing and stealing in broad daylight, without any concern about the wellbeing of others. In my honest opinion, these type of people should no longer be around us, but I guess times have come to this.

Sorry for the ranting, but back to my main point... Ever wondered why you felt so insecure and unsafe?

Did you ever notice, that while walking in malls, there are women who cling onto their bags for dear life? Men keeping a tight hand on their pockets or even in it? Did YOU ever wonder what was in their bags/wallets that they were trying to hide/protect? Unless they are politicians, I seriously doubt that they are trying to protect the illegitimate photos or data of them, but rather CASH! And in today's day and age, who doesn't need some extra cash?

I honestly sometimes think to myself, "Are you serious?"!!! Cos don't these people realize that they are attracting attention to themselves? I have absolutely no intentions of taking anything from them, but even then, I am curious to the amounts of cash they probably have on them.

But in all honesty, they probably are only carrying around RM 200? Yet, why draw attention to it?

I hear stories of people getting mugged, car-jacked, etc, and I've come to realize the similarities:

  1. They weren't really aware of their surroundings. Honestly, when you walk to your car in a parking lot, do you take notice of certain things like if there are people following you? Panic buttons? The area that your cars are parked in? There is a possibility of being alert without looking scared. Look confident, yet be alert. It's really not that difficult. Twisting your head around like a manic dog, isn't really going to help. 
  2. They didn't really "see it happening". Seriously? Did you seriously "SEE IT HAPPENING"? Which moron in the right frame of mind would say "Oh, I'm going to be robbed in T minus 5 minutes"? SERIOUSLY! Come on people! 
I guess what I'm trying to say here, is that it's time that not only we help each other be on the lookout, but also, what I'm trying to say is, DON'T LOOK LIKE YOU'RE PROTECTING YOUR LIFE! It makes an ordinary person question what's on you, let alone someone who's looking and searching for vulnerability. 

Everyone, please stay alert and be safe always! Let's keep to a #SaferMalaysia! :) 

Love always,
DancerGal Sheryl <3 

June 27, 2012

Self-Reflection: Feeling "low" and "blue"? Fret not... You're not alone!

Everyone thinks that they are alone. Everyone thinks that every other person is ignoring or neglecting them. Your first mistake?

WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR EXTERNAL APPROVAL???

A motivationMY friend is going through the fact that this person is feeling "left out". My question would be, why? Why are you feeling "left out"? Is there something wrong with you? NO! Nothing is EVER wrong with you. So why do you still feel "left out"?

Have you ever considered the circumstances?

It takes a LOT to feel left out. Wanna know why? I consciously chose to not have "friends" when I was in high school. I never liked anyone, I loved being alone, but I still had friends from church. Circumstances led me to being "alone". I couldn't speak any other language but English while my other friends spoke in Chinese or Malay. I would always go to school alone, in fact I used to sit alone in class, and then eat alone, then go home alone. I was used to being alone. But surprisingly, I didn't feel left out. Why? Of course now I realized why. It was because I didn't really care for the people around me then, nor did I want to know about their lives.

You feeling left out, isn't really the problem. It's the problem of the friendship. The relationship. That is bigger that what YOU're feeling. If you are reading this, please ask yourself. If the people who are making you feel "left out" care for you, you wouldn't be feeling like this anyway!

COMMUNICATE!

Communicate how you feel to the people whom are making you feel this way. Chances are, it would be a 50-50 shot. There could be 2 outcomes:

1. You were wrong. You were being overly sensitive and misreading the situation. This is the best case scenario. Your friendship would be back to normal, and every one would be all happy and dandy.

The second outcome, however, isn't such a lovely one.

2. They aren't really interested in you anymore. They don't really wanna be your "friend" anymore.

But here's the thing. Are you a 5 year old child? That you need friends like that? Get the heck away from people like them! They don't need you and you don't need them. I always believe in this statement:

"Surrounding yourself with the right people 
can turn your day around"

As much as you don't deserve to be treated that way, they don't deserve to have a friend like you. While you may have lost the friendship, but you gain strength. The strength to not be overly dependent and bonded to others. The strength to say "NO" when you need to. The strength to go out there and smile to the other friends around you, who treat you well and make you feel "in". 

When you feel left out, think of whether the friendship is worth salvaging or not. If yes, then communicate. If not, turn around, and just smile. Because your smile could turn someone's day around. 

Remember, there's nothing worth feeling bad about. These days, lifestyles are just so quick, that you don't really have the time to meetup, sit and chat over coffee. But that's what phones, social media and technology are for! Put them to good use! Don't make yourself feel "left out". 

Last but not least, TURN THAT FROWN UPSIDE DOWN AND SMILE... :) 

Love always, 
DancerGal Sheryl <3 

June 4, 2012

Self-Reflection: Self Improvement and Self Change

I was sorta flipping through the "Photos of Me" section on Facebook, and I went all the way back to 2011 and a teeny bit of 2010 (New FB account). The first thought that crossed my mind was.... "DAYUMMM GIRL! Y U SO FAT?" And then, I kinda woke up, and wondered why was that the FIRST thought that crossed my mind? Was I really that fat? 

This photo was taken back in 2011. Damn. 

At that point in time, I didn't really "see" myself as "fat". I was happy and I was eating. A Lot. I was with my family, I had good friends around me and to be honest, I didn't "see" anything wrong with myself. BOY WAS I WRONG! I was pissed every time I wanted to dress up, and realized that I couldn't because I was too fat. The other lady in the photo? She loves her clothes, and sometimes, she gives them away to us. I couldn't fit into anything that she wanted to give me, and then, I started feeling miserable. 

I was still dancing at the time, but it was getting less and less. One day, I was attending my ballet class, and the teacher mentioned that "I didn't have the stamina". I got even more miserable. I wanted to lose the weight, and I wanted to lose it BAD. Another dance competition on TV was completely out of the question because I had a job at the time, and really couldn't afford to take a 3-month leave. I got so miserable, that I started to lose my temper really easily. Here's the sick part of it all. I was still binge eating. If there was anything I'd refuse to give up, it was FOOD. 

And then, I found the Original Bootcamp programme!!! 



I found this programme thanks to a colleague of mine, who attends the same programme as well. She was fit, and I totally admired her attitude. I thought long and hard about it. Had super long conversations with SammoBammo, just to make sure that I was ready for this. Hence, I took the first step. I signed up for this programme back in November 2011. That was the day, my life changed. 

The first session, was HORRENDOUS! I had eaten too much before, and threw up during the session itself. But me being me, I refused to quit. A few people had actually told me that I wouldn't be able to make it, as it would be too tough for me. SEVEN MONTHS LATER.... Guess what my favourite part of Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are? :) 

So, here I am, seven months later. I look back at everything I have accomplished. I was NEVER an athlete nor did I EVER consider myself an athlete. I go way back, when I could barely hold a 10 second plank. Now, I'm holding planks by the mins (well, actually I can only go 1 minute, but that's 60 seconds :P). I have found it in me to love running. I've done 3 marathons since Bootcamp (Mizuno, Brooks, and PJ Dawn), and I get this sheer joy, when I hold that finisher medal in my hands. :) 

I wouldn't consider this post "bragging", but here's how I look, right now :) 

This photo was taken during Jessica's Birthday, about 3 weeks ago

I feel damn good about myself, and the best part is? I am CONTINUING to work at it. I used to be someone who would seek "external approval". Yes, I do think I could lose some more weight and really trim up, but I know that the possibility of it happening is quite real. Before I started Bootcamp, I kept telling myself that I was scared. Then one day, SammoBammo told me this: The only person stopping you from being happy and achieving what you want, is yourself. Which was true! I was letting people and my fear of failure get to me. It took MYSELF to step out of the comfort zone, and dive into the mud (literally!). 

Original Bootcamp has really helped me with finding myself back in all this mess. The Corporals, Sergeants, and all my Bootcamp-mates have helped me literally stand back on my own two feet. Losing all the weight is one thing (although it was the main thing), but being happy was another. I was not confident with myself. I used to cry during my first few sessions because when we did partner-based workouts, I would actually feel bad for making my partner wait too long for me. But now, it's not about that. The objective of having a partner is so that he/she can motivate you and you will be encouraged to move faster and push yourself. I believe in pushing myself to my limits. I know now, that if after EACH session, if I don't feel DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Syndrome) within the next day, I know I haven't worked myself hard enough and I'll push myself the next day. :) 

To be honest, this post was really about me. About how I pushed myself out of the comfort zone, improved and changed myself for the better. I believe that everyone has a right to be happy, but no one is going to take the first step for you. Be bold. Be brave. You need to take that ONE step. The very first one, and believe in your heart that you can be happy. Because if you don't, you'll just never get there. 

If you are unhappy with how things are right now, MAKE A DAMN CHANGE! 

Love always, 
DancerGal Sheryl <3 

May 28, 2012

In the life of DancerGal: Celebrating motivationMY's FIRST birthday :)

So the date, time and venue was set...ish and we finally decided to organize #twtupDOME where the marvelous tweeples I've come to know over twitter, are finally meeting one another - FACE TO FACE!!!!

Initially, I felt nervous and scared. With the exception of the founder, Syafique, I've never met any of the rest before! I wonder, how would they see me? How would their impression of me be? After all, I would be the ONLY Chinese there!!!! (the racist blood in me was pumping) But then, when each and everyone of them came, they were such pleasant little things :) Made me feel so much better, not to mention all the laughing and the "gossiping" :P

I shall introduce them in sequence of attendance as I was THE FIRST (as always! :P) to arrive. :) *rolling the red carpet*

First, came Founder of @motivationMY and motivationMY.com, SYAFIQUE SHUIB! :) I'd met him a few times and he is just plain nice :) Not to mention his silly and funny antics! So we talked about our jobs, our wants, dreams, aspirations, etc :P TOTALLY NOT TRUE! We were just plain crapping around and laughing about it. Haha!

Then came Fendi and his superbly awesome birthday boy (it was his birthday on 26th May), IZZY! :) He's so adorable and Syafique and I tried to get him to smile or look at us, but he was so shy! :( Found out Fendi's job and interests which was really one of a kind :) interesting dude, not to mention all the posing and laughter and all! :)

Then *MAJOR RED CARPET* for Achik!! The resident ambassador to YES 4G! :P His job seems really awesome as it's basically what brought all of us together in the first place - SOCIAL MEDIA! :) He was promoting 4G to us like nobody's business! HAHA! We agreed to get the huddle if he would give us each a free Eclipse (the new phone from YES!) :D

Topics of conversation varied WIDELY from Siti Nurhaliza, to fruits on someone's belly *AHEM*, to ass-wiping the media *AHEM AHEM*, to Izzy's birthday, to marketing and promotion, to when and where our next twtup should be :) We took some photos, but sadly my photos are all in my phone which I have been unable to extract. :( So for now, I will be using pics from motivationMY.com (credits to Syafique's iPad)!!!

*The awesome TwtupDOME gang: Achik, myself, Izzy (busy with tab) and Fendi*

*The awesome TwtupDOME gang: Achik, myself, and Syafique*

*The awesome TwtupDOME gang: Myself and Syafique*

*The awesome TwtupDOME gang: Syafique and Achik*

*The awesome TwtupDOME gang: Achik showing off his YES 4G and Fendi being AMAZED by the speed!*


Thank you so much guys for the awesome awesome time! I honestly did not expect the very friendly friendly people, not to mention, Izzy :) I would be really happy to meet all of you again! Next twtup bila and where? Let's make it bigger, and grow the group!!! <3 

Last but not least, a special SHOUTOUT to MotivationMY.com on their FIRST birthday!!! Looking forward to many more to come!! :D 

Love always,
DancerGal Sheryl <3