May '18 Favourites

Salam Ramadhan btw everyone! We’re already a week in. Quick for me because I only started fasting 3 days in. It’s wonderful that it’s raining almost everyday, it’s usually scorching hot every Ramadhan so the rain is a nice relief. Albeit it making the workplace just so much more difficult to be in. All I want is a nice snuggle. 

Ramadhan is so tiring. Not so much from fasting but from the lack of sleep. It's entirely my fault for sleeping late but my body clock and I can't help it! And then I'm up by 5 for sahur (in this household, it's pretty compulsory to come donwstairs to have something to eat, even if it's just to drink water) and then subuh and then by then I would only have a comfortable hour long to indulge in sleep before getting up for work. I have to admit thought I've been quite bad these past few days, waking up so late! This is where I'm incredibly grateful to be working where I work where we don't really adhere to strict working times (... my boss would love it that we do but we... don't...).

I haven't done one in a long time but I wanna show you what I've been obsessing over the past few weeks/month.

1. Heart Signal




Ok guys. I haven't watched anything in so long that makes me ~insane~. Heart Signal is a Korean reality show with 3 guys and 3 girls, all strangers and they've all been put in a house to live together. All of them single and ready for love basically. And every night they'd have to send a text to the person of the opposite sex that they like and there's a panel of hosts that guess who sends to who. There's a game aspect to it but I'm definitely a lot more interested with the love lines and the cute interactions between the residents than what the panel have to say. I'm like... borderline... unhealthily obsessed with this show. It's on every Friday but English subtitles are only up on the next Wednesday so I have to zone out from my Korean Instagram account (I have a separate one solely for all things Korean so that it doesn't mess with my timelines on my actual one) so that I don't see any spoilers. Not to be dramatic but it's actually consuming my whole life now and I freaking love it.

2. Terrace House

... so this is just the Japanese version of Heart Signal but slightly different in that they don't text each other anonymously after a day. And residents can leave the house (and the show) whenever they want to. I'm not as taken to this show as I am with Heart Signal but I still quite like it. It's lengthy in the number of episodes (45 compared to Heart Signal's 16) but pretty short per episode (30-40 minutes compared to an hour an half of Heart Signal). But this is the first time I've watched anything Japanese so I was just in awe of the culture, the language and the behaviours. They're SO different from the Koreans and it's endlessly fascinating. Every episode I'm learning something new about them. Like for example, they're just so much more open and liberal compared to their neighbours. Atleast in terms of what they allow to be aired on TV. And even their interactions are just a lot more stronger than the Koreans, if they like someone, they'll say it and they'll aim for a kiss then and there. It's so odd but so refreshing. Culture shock hahaha. It's like anything and everything goes.

I've only watched the second season (Boys & Girls in the City) and I watched one episode of the latest season but wasn't too into it so I stopped. It's such a popular show so I guess if you're interested, you can give it a try? It's not as trashy as I make it up to be, promise! It's really low key drama, it's insane how such a show can be so addictive.

It's on Netflix.

3. The Ordinary's Niacinamide + Zinc serum

My holy grail. I didn't realise just how good this is 'til I stopped using it. I have very sensitive, acne-prone, oily skin and this just reduces excess oil production and increases strength of your skin barrier. Redness, blotchiness, pimples and zits have all subsided. It's anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and it really helps with the size of my pores too. I just love the living lights out of this product, it's made me such a niacinamide fan. The ingredient works for my skin and I know this for an absolute fact because when I stopped using it for a while (because they're so hard to get hold of), my face just went berserk. 10/10 recommend.

4. Dr Jart's Cicapair Cream

I got this on a whim during the Sephora Sale and I say 'on a whim' only because I researched about the product just the night before and usually it takes me weeks to decide whether I want to get something or not especially if it's a bit pricey. But so far, I love it!

I don't know if it's just my skin calming down from the other products I've been using or if this has contributed to that but I'd like to think it has. Centella asiatica is the main ingredient in this and it's been called as the powerhouse skincare ingredient to soothe inflammation, blemishes and redness. It's also known as 'tiger grass' because this is the same herb/plant that the Asian tigers roll around in to soothe their wounds. Cool right??? Totally the deal breaker for me.

The other products from this same line actually is green in colour but blends into your skin colours to combat the redness in your skin. I'll try that next!

5. Sabrina Claudio

Ok someone help, I cannot stop listening to her music!!

I only just discovered her a few weeks ago and there's been no turning back because I seriously just don't listen to anything else. she's so good and her music is so soothing. It's been raining quite a lot the past week or so and her music feels like it's one with the rain and the gloom. I just zone out when I listen to her which isn't conducive in the workplace but otherwise, really really good. My kind of music - something I can put on and doze off to... but in a good way.

My favourites are Too Much Too Late, Stand Still, Frozen and Confidently Lost.

__

We're less than 3 weeks til my favourite time of year; Raya! So excited to be spending my holidays in Penang with my family. Not too sure what I'll be wearing but with everyone selling everything everywhere, it shouldn't be too difficult.

xx

My first voting experience!

So today was the first time I went out to vote! First experience! I was quite excited and quite nervous about the procedure because everyone's been sharing the guide on how to vote properly so I was extra cautious about the ink and about the stamp and serial number on the ballot. But hopefully mine was fine? Also, it helped a lot that I went with fellow first time voters - my siblings! So the 2 hour + wait wasn't too bad I guess. We went at 8:40 and only managed to vote close to 11. I think there definitely should be a call to improve the voting procedure. But it was pretty nice to see everyone come together to fulfil their civic rights. And it made for a pretty cute Instagram photo. 

Kasi chance lah k, first time ni!

My mum insisted on taking a photo of us when she dropped us off. Good thing I brought that water bottle because it got warm and we were all growing tired from lining up. HYDRATION IS KEY!!!

The line at about 9 am! 

I hate this ink thing btw it looks absolutely gross now. Can't wait to get it off.

So after what seems like 10 years, results are in and I stayed up til about 3 in the morning, watching the coverage on TV and on Twitter. Let's be honest - social media has definitely played a key role in this election. For better and for worse. People were more aware especially kids of my generation and that was definitely proven in the turn out. It's always a good thing when the nation's youth come out to participate in what has become a historic election. But on the other hand, social media has also enabled fake news and wild assumptions to be spread irresponsibly. I have a grown distaste for rumours and baseless assumptions when it comes to things like this. We have to practice caution when spreading information on social platforms - do your research and always, always ask!!!! Always enquire about the source's authenticity. It's so dangerous when it gets out of hand. It builds a horrible misunderstanding that then leads to contempt and hostility towards a political party. Just as it's our duty to vote and speak up on all the wrongs we face, it is also our duty to be responsible when it comes to spreading news. At the end of the day, be ready to come up with your source and ensure that it checks out. What are you going to do if it doesn't? Once a rumour gets out, it'll catch like wild fire and do you really think you're able to take responsibility of the lies and groundless presumptions you've headed? Once it's out, it's out. There was a tweet about the former PM colluding with other political parties to oust the new government and how they were prepared to pay 20 million to said political parties to agree to this. I asked on how she got this information and I've still yet gotten a reply. 

Like I said, always be ready to give anyone who asks, an authentic source. 

Another thing; there is definitely a need to establish a better and safer and smoother voting process. There has to be a way to quicken the process and make it... I guess... tolerable? People came out in the numbers which was wonderful but they had to stand in the hot sun and for popular places, often for a long time. Maybe have more rooms opened with more than just 2 voters at a time? Maybe introduce better queuing systems - one that is more efficient and clear? The whole of Bandar Sri Damansara voted in one school. Maybe open up more stations around? Should there be canopies and fans at the ready? I understand it's hot all year round but what if it was raining? Wouldn't that highly inconvenience the voters? Also, what can be done to ensure that postal votes reach ahead of time? I need to know the operation process that went behind this. Was it just poor planning from the SPR or was the postal service accountable for the delay? Maybe have polling stations based in places around the world with a high Malaysian population? Say in London and a few around the US and Australia? I liked how there were lines for the elderly so that they didn't have to wait around long. My grandparents were in and out within 10 minutes which I thought was fantastic. 

But nevertheless, it was a great first time and to think this election will be written in history books is quite cool. But I hope we continue to be critical of the new administration and eliminate all biases. Also remember that there were honourable people who worked at the last administration so always be nice about the win. Celebrate but be respectful about it. No sticking out your tongue or boo-ing as that would render your victory to lose worth. This new administration sheds light on the change that's much needed but if you yourself can't change for the better, then would this really mean anything more than just a transfer of power?

Sincere congratulatory wishes to the newly formed government and our new prime minister. Watched Mahathir's swearing in by the King just now with the family. Historical moment and I genuinely and sincerely want to see him soar to greater heights - even greater than the ones he's achieved before. I also hope and pray, that because he's now an aged man, he has the strength and energy and confidence to govern this county well and moga dia panjang umur. He's a great and highly respected man and I hope the next 5 years prove to be the best ones yet.

xx

A boring (but necessary...?) post

I really love nothing more than being at home, by myself and watching something on my laptop. My family and I went for lunch today and then to RIUH and although that was fun and I met some friends, I was counting the minutes to come home. After a cold shower, of course. Bliss ~ 

I got inspired by my friend, Hanis, who wrote down things that she was grateful for and wrote in an entry basically everyday and I really liked the idea that I started doing my own. I tweaked it a bit and it's a list of '3 Things That Made Me Happy Today'. I've been quite good with it and have made sure to jot down 3 things that I liked about that day. I can be the world's greatest pessimist on some days (if not most of 'em) so this is quite refreshing to do. Some days I have trouble coming up with 3 things and some days I'll write more. Here's just a few for the past week:

15/4 : 

Hugging Iman

16/4 : 

Saved money by bringing last night's aglio to work

17/4 :

Watching BEYCHELLA

18/4 :

Watching Heart Signal's latest episode. I'm obsessed.

19/4 : 

Came home to Mama frying my favourite sausages

20/4 :

Got home from work very early.

21/4 : 

Watching Emilia Clarke's video for Omaze. She's so precious.

22/4 : 

The rain.

 I won't post anymore here just 'cause it's something personal and I'd like to keep it to myself so just a tiny bit will do for now. But it's really nice to come home at the end of the day and remind yourself what made you happy that day even if it was a tough day to get through. I highly encourage it!

This is such a boring post but I still felt I needed to post something as to not have this blog go abandon for more than 3 weeks. I think my next post I'll write a super long one about what I've been really loving lately. That can usually go on for miles on long.

'Til then!

xx

Update on March

Took me a while but I seriously maybe need to adapt a better lifestyle. I'm constantly in a sitting position - I sit at work, I sit on the hour drive back home, at home I'm in bed. I wanna go for like an evening walk but by the time I'm home it'll already be Maghrib. I'm going to go back to swearing off soft/sweet drinks and swear off fast food for a while. Like... a month long. I'm back on my daily green tea fix so hopefully this lasts for a while. I remember in Bristol, green tea was all I had.

It'll be April in a few days. Stepping into the second quarter of the year already, what!!!! January felt like 2 years and March like 2 days. It's the weekend tomorrow and I've got work on Saturday but meeting with friends for brunch/lunch so that should be fun. I'm going to make it a point to meet up with friends like once in 2 weeks. I don't like scheduling back-to-back because it's quite exhausting and as much as I love my friends, I also love having dinner with my parents and I hardly see them, what with work and all so I like that I'm home to have at least a meal with them at the end of the day.

Mama's 50!

Mama turned 50! The most kind and generous and ridiculously good hearted person turned 50 the past weekend. Wished we could have given her more since 50 is a milestone but alhamdulillah she looked like she loved everything. She's really a superwoman and she's such a wonderful being, I can't put it into words just how much she means to me. She's literally my favourite person. Ever. She's retiring in like 5 years so insyaAllah I hope to do well so I can give her the best retirement days that she very well deserves. She reads my blog so hi mama we don't always say it but we love you tirelessly.

The March babies. Don't they look SO much alike???

Dolly Dim Sum's birthday crew was so fun - they had a guitar (ukelele? idk) and a whole bunch of them sang. Really fun.

LOML

If you're wondering where I get my cakes - they're all from Lilylola. Cake's really really sedap and they always deliver with their design. I initially wanted a different kind of cake but they couldn't do it at the last minute so this was Plan B. Still really pretty and my mum loved it. 

(But if you're into taste more than the exterior, then I know of this baker in Taman Tun, her name's Cecilia and she seriously makes the BEST tasting cakes ever. We've been ordering from her since children and she never fails. She doesn't do elaborate flowery designs like this and the rest that you see on Instagram but she does really good ones regardless).

Iman Turns 19!

Iman's now 19 :((((( How is this baby already 19. She's really the best and all her friends know it too. My mum was quite worried for her when she got into UiTM because she thought people would not want to befriend her because of her BM skills (spoiler: she has none). But she pulls through anyway - she can make friends with anyone anywhere, she's just that nice and friendly. Eep, baby girl's so big now.

Ola Bola the Musical

So as an early birthday treat, I took Mama out on the raved Ola Bola the Musical. My mum loves watching anything at Istana Budaya because she (and also I) believe that in order to have a show at Istana Budaya, production must be top notch. And this was produced by Tiara Jacqueline so obviously will be so good. And it definitely was - I was afraid it wouldn't meet my expectations because they were pretty high but YAY it did and it exceeded too. I was in awe of so many things from acting to singing to props to tech to sound to everything! I loved it and I can't wait to go watch more! 

Friends 

This was a whole bunch of us after watching Nabil's play at Damansara Performing Arts Centre. So glad I have a friend so involved in the local theatre arts because I would have never known of these productions and of these places. Also, it's nice to go support a friend. He did damn well too. Can't wait for his next one! 

Najihah's back from the States! Well, at least she was. She came home for a week to settle her visa and now she's back there. We may not be as close as we were then but it was genuinely so nice to be reunited with friends I grew up with in high school. I miss it!!!

Also I seem to have cracked my back camera so in some photos, you can see the random ray of light because of the crack. I kinda dig it.

xx

JKT

My first trip to Jakarta! And for Java Jazz Fest!

I've always always always wanted to make the trip to Jakarta for the longest time and finally I was going to! And for its annual Java Jazz Fest too so I was extra stoked. This was a birthday present from my parents for both Tania and I so it was just the both of us. Just like old times! No vlog this time 'round because it was a very, very short trip and half of it was spent in car rides getting from one place to another.

We went to Java Jazz only for a day instead of all 3. We really just wanted to go for Daniel Caesar and Yura Yunita. Only found that Jaz was performing that day also! Was sooo happy. I loved the energy of the festival - all full of people of all ages who genuinely loved music. Jazz is so embedded in the Indonesian culture and it was really cool to see young Indonesians thoroughly enjoying themselves to slow music that isn't particularly too popular with youths everywhere else. I loved it - the vibe, the spirit, the singing along, the dancing, everything. 

We also got to go to Pasar Mayestik and managed to get some kain for Raya. It was really fun but that's definitely a whole-day thing and we went pretty late and wanted to make our rounds so didn't get to ronda as much as we'd loved. I HIGHLY recommend it for all brides-to-be because it's so cheap and the kain is beautiful. We got some lace, some songket and some batik and some normal kain. It's SO darn cheap, don't be surprised if you end up using most of the holiday budget at that one place.

Indonesia is pretty cheap in general, from food to hair salons (Tania got her hair did 3 days straight) to the kain batik so you're good to go with a rather small budget. Even Grab rides are cheap though we did tip them a bit more because we just felt it was ridiculous that an hour ride was only RM9! 

The only gripe I have with the otherwise wonderful city is the traffic. People go on and on about the traffic and you're like meh what busy city isn't swarmed with cars.  The traffic is no joke - people always tell you about the 'macet' (traffic in Indonesian) and you're like 'Psh ya but what city doesn't have traffic'. Well lemme tell you about it all. It might seem like 15 minutes distance on your Google Map but it takes a whole damn hour! And that's normal!!! Tania and I totally underestimated the traffic and the time it takes up so we didn't get to go to a QUARTER of the places that we'd like. But that's fine - all the more reason to go again! (err AirAsia is having a huge sale right now err i might or might not book again). My advice is to maybe not be too ambitious and have everything crammed in a few days because then you'll be really rushed and unhappy. It's a holiday anyway so take your time with it. 

I really, really, really am looking forward to making another trip to Jakarta - I didn't have time to really love and appreciate the city. People are really nice though - very hospitable. Try and speak the language if you can - pick up a few good words here and there to make it look like you're trying. Like with every place you go, it's always pretty helpful to know a couple of phrases because they appreciate the time you took to know the language. 

Photos (though not many) !

The very talented and very handsome, Jaz Hayat.

Yura Yunita - what a voice and what an entertainer. Can't wait to see more of her.

And the best part (heh geddit), Daniel Caesar. Sigh. SO effortlessly good.

One of the prettiest restaurants I've been - it's called Three Buns. Serves mostly burgers but I had a rice bowl which was meh. So up my alley all these greenery and odd seating arrangements. Defo would come again. And maybe actually get a burger.

What colour shall our raya baju be this year.... hmmm

Buying Indonesian snacks. At this point of day, we were just so ready to head back to the hotel room. And eat hot cheeto puffs.

Sempat take a selfie while waiting for our bags at the WRONG carousel. 

Told you not many photos. I'm usually very lazy to take photos or I suck at it so I just don't do it entirely. But it was a fun trip - I promise I ate more than just those meh burgers. I'm a nasi girl so I ate nasi everyday but I was often too hungry to bother taking photos. And it's just... rice. With some really hot sambal omg hungry again now.

Loved the trip - thanks Mama and Papa for the birthday present. Twas a good one. Next year London pulak? No? 

xx

To help or not to help

So on Friday, as I was about to leave the office and I got into my car, this guy comes up to me. So I roll the window just a tiny bit because y'know, roll it down too much and he can swoop in and open the door from inside and that's a situation I've seen in dramas and don't wish to be in.

He asks if I can drive him out of the parking lot and to the nearest convenience store because he has this heavy tyre that's gone flat and he needs help. I don't know why a convenience store because he was probably looking for a tool or something and the security guard (who was with us the whole time) told him he could find it at the convenience store. It's literally just 2 lots from my office and you can just walk up. So I asked him (without wanting to look/be too rude) "But why can't you just walk...?" and I felt so shit after asking him that because obviously I'd like to help him out and he explained his situation. He genuinely looked like a nice guy and he was panting from dragging his, I assume to be, heavy tyre. So I kinda reluctantly said yes and he put his tyre in the boot.

But I knew a guy colleague who hadn't come down yet from the office whose car was just next to mine so I suggested to this guy that "Hey, my GUY colleague is coming down any second, maybe he can help you out instead?" and he was all ok yeah sure no problem, i just need someone to help me out with my tyre. 

And the whole time this is happening, there's a security guard with us who was helping him find a situation before that so I guess that comforted me a bit. It looked more legit I guess. But ultimately, he sensed that I was very uncomfortable with the idea of driving him up and he said it's fine, he'll just manage. I apologised profusely but he said "No, it's fine, I completely understand!" and was very nice about it. He then continued to drag/carry/struggle with carrying his tyre upstairs. 

So this is my dilemma. In the world that we live in where we listen to all sorts of stories and how literally everything can potentially be so dangerous, how does one be nice and generous without also at the same time, fearing for one's safety. I really wanted to help this guy out because he seemed nice and he even invited me to his brother's wedding (idk how it got there but i mean ok) and he really looked like he could have used a hand with the tyre and all but such a huge part of me was saying no and i should be better off feeling safe than sorry. So I basically told him no thanks i can't help you because you might be really dangerous. And he was very understanding about it which was even sadder about the whole situation because he probably knows it was a long shot to ask a lone female driver in a rather empty parking lot for help but still did anyway because he really needed the help.

I'd like to be nice and accommodating but I also don't want anything to happen to me. It wasn't his fault that I couldn't help with his situation. It's a different world we live in where you doubt everyone around you. What if I was in his situation?? And really needed help? Sigh. I know we always have to be kind and helpful but what if it's to the cost of our own safety. And vice versa; we always have to be careful and wary of our surroundings but would that essentially mean we'd have to give up on helping others out. 

xx