152MB

Guess what, guys.

My WiFi is finally up and running and at 152mb which, although I'm absolutely clueless when it comes to phone speed and internet data, is really fast!

I was so impatient because I had completely used up all my Personal Hotspot data so I was left with just my phone. Man, I don't know how my parents did it, without internet! I know I can't, I'm so obsessed with Internet and this past few days really just left me so bored! I sound like such a 21st century brat but don't lie, WiFi is your saviour.

So!

Classes have officially started and by far, I have the busiest Tuesdays. A 9-6 schedule leaves you so exhausted, man. Despite that, I'm quite happy that my other days are pretty freed up like I don't have Monday classes and I only have one lecture on Thursdays and evening lectures on Friday so I'm quite satisfied with my timetable.

It's only my first day of classes but already so daunting and intimidating. The teachers have told us that this would be an important year and I'm going to change it up a gear this year. InsyaAllah! I'd love to see my parents come to my graduation next year where I hopefully would graduate with a first. Seems like a big dream for a girl like me but I know myself, and if I push and discipline myself, I'll be okay.

Today is Raya Haji and although back home, our family doesn't really do anything special today besides having nice lunch and dinner (but we have nice lunches and dinners everyday anyway), it's quite lonely to be in my home in Bristol without any family. Miss them by the day but oh well, distance comes with studying abroad so I just have to persevere 'til the next time I see them!

Selamat Hari Raya, everyone! 

I, on the other hand, am going to continue watching Korean shows. How I've missed them.

(EDIT : Went out for a Korean dinner with Nana today and before that, we stopped over at a Korean shop where I got cute chopsticks and prawn crackers. The owner was Korean and went I greeted her with an Anyeonghaseyo, she was shocked and told me I had very good pronunciation which honestly, meant so much to me. She was shocked throughout our visit to the store and every time I'd say something in Korean, she would just shake her hand in disbelief and say my Korean was so good, and if only she could learn English the way I learned Korean. She would turn to Nana and just tell her that I spoke exactly like a Korean. This all seems like I'm bragging to the ends of earth but really, more than anything, it means a great deal to me when a native Korean says I speak well with good pronunciation. It's fantastic motivation for me to continue learning Korean. If you've taken up a foreign language and be told how good you sound, you'd understand how I feel. Hehe just wanted to share that here because it made my whole week!)

xx

To shop or to not shop

You know I'm back in England when I'm excited about shopping for home stuff and groceries. I went out today to get myself necessary things for dinner tonight and I bought exactly all that I needed. I made detours, obviously, to the usual shops but didn't get anything other than the ones I really needed. Which were photo frames, a birthday card for my grandmother, cutleries, a wok, a frying pan, and garlic and cili padi.

I won't say I'm a shopaholic because I don't think I am. Though Tania and my mum would wholeheartedly disagree, I really think I'm not. I mean, have you seen some of my friends?!?!?! They shop up a storm. If you're a shopaholic and you want to stop (bless you, you're so strong), I have some useful tips. These are all things I've learnt over the years and have been quite helpful to me.

Hahahaha no, seriously, here are some things you should try if you want to save some money. This is, especially, for the students who just arrived in the UK and are starting out their first year (hello hi welcome, congratulations! You made it! And yes, the weather has always been like this, and no, you won't get sick from drinking water from the tap).

#1 Don't buy 'cause they're cheap

Don't always succumb to cheap prices. Yeah, they're cheap and a bargain but are you liking the thing more or the price? Because if you're buying it just 'cause it's cheap, then don't get it. You might think you're saving money for buying it cheap but you're saving even more money from not getting it at all.
I almost bought a throw at Primark for a fiver just cause it was a fiver. There was no apparent reason I needed a throw because the selimut I already have is so warm and to be honest, I don't even understand the purpose of a throw... but anyway, that was £5 saved.

This is what Primark does to you also. Cheap prices, tapi lama lama mahal gak kalau beli banyak benda tak guna.

#2 Run it over the next 24 hours

If you like something, hold it off for atleast another 24 hours. If you're still thinking about it then, then you can get it. If you find yourself completely forgetting about it or atleast having second thoughts after the 24 hours, then you weren't really passionate about it in the first place. The amount of things I've held off from buying from using this 24 hours thing is enough to get me a flight back to KL.

But if you find something you really really love, then save it aside. Most stores allow you to have it put aside for a tleast 24 hours so at least you have some security that the thing you want is stored away from other shoppers. You don't have to buy it just yet, like I said, think about it first before you get it. Always a good idea.

#3 Buy weather-appropriate things

Sounds like a no-brainer but I catch myself buying crop tops in this weather and when I try to wear them, I instantly loom over my life decisions and realise that this wasn't a good one. Especially, in this weather, are you really going to wear that flimsy see-through blouse? I'm now strictly avoiding getting fancy tops ever during the autumn/winter season because from my experience of being here for about 2 years, I hardly ever wear them and it becomes such a hassle to pack it home. Tak payah. Only buy them if you really need it for a function; even then, you'd be cursing at yourself for wearing so thin out. I swear, the only times I wore a blouse out was for my birthday and to other people's birthday dinners. Which is about like? Less than 5 times in the whole year??

(Besides, wait til Spring/Summer collection come flooding through shops, so much better than the ones in store now, and a lot more to choose from)

Also, don't buy flats if you're in the UK now 'cause you won't wear that for atleast another 5 months. Not even Ferragamo ones, guys, as pretty as they are. Poor babies will only stay in the box.

#5 "Don't buy for the sake of buying"

... is what my mum would us every time we go out shopping ever since we were young. I would accompany her to the nearby kedai runcit, and I'd get myself notebooks and colourful pens COMPLETELY unnecessary but I just felt like I needed to buy something just because Mum and her wallet were there.

We grew up listening to her say that all the time that now, for us, it's become a healthy habit.

Saves you heaps. Also, stay away from friends who are evil shopping lurers AKA me. Stay away from me. I encourage the heck out of people to shop when they're out with me. Which is probably why I like to shop alone. The only other person I would go shopping with is Tania. She would just flat out say "No, when the hell are you going to wear that" when I was picking out a pair of shorts. They were cute but when will I ever wear a pair of shorts with my Ustaz Papa supervising our choice of clothes before we leave the house. Man, the amount of "Kenapa seluar koyak? Takde duit ke?" I've had to hear...

So, before buying anything, just ask yourself WHEN are you going to wear or use that and if you can't think of a time in the near future to do so, then put it back where you found it and slowly gather your strength and might to walk out the door. You feel so much better when you come back home knowing you haven't spent money, promise!

#6 Pair it with things you already have

If the cobalt blue trousers you're about to buy requires you to buy something else to pair it with, than that's another purchase you have to contemplate over. Picture the thing you're about to buy and pair it with at least 3 things you already have in your closet. Which is why buying a white shirt is justifiable, you can wear that with basically anything, be it skirt or cobalt blue trousers.

#7 Try it on!

Do it. Try it on. It does seem like a chore to try things on especially when you have layers and layers of clothes on, heck, even without all the layers, I'm still lazy to try things on! But you just have to. They have been so many times I've picked out things I was SO sure that I was going to look good in and I was going to buy it there and then.

That was before I went into the fitting room. You can never tell with the fit and silhouette of clothes. They look really great on hangers but you find all sorts of problems when you put it on. They can look awkward and some materials are not even nice to have on so it's always a good idea to take time out to try it on.

I was ridiculously in love with a button-up denim skirt that actually went below the knee (decent lah tu kan) but when I tried it out, it looked so awkward and I knew I wasn't going to wear it any time soon so that was a double whammy.

Did I just use 'double whammy', that was gross, sorry I take it back.

#8 Don't shop at your first shop

It's so typical, kan? To shop at the first shop you're in. Go around first. Finish the day first and see if you still like it. You're more likely to make the effort to come back to the first shop if there was something you really, really, really loved there. Chances are you might find a better alternative elsewhere if you browse around first! It's the vibe of "Ooh, I'm going out shopping!" that plagues with your whole spending habit, with that mentality, you tend to buy things you don't even like that much.

Also! These tips aren't just when you're shopping with your money, it's also, perhaps more importantly, used when you're out with someone who's paying for your shopping. It doesn't really matter if you come from a family of money or not, it's still money. Don't buy just 'cause your parents are using their credit card. They work hard to get what they get so it's always nice and considerate to be mindful of your spending.

So that's all for this blog post! I hope I don't come off sounding like a know-it-all. I just find my shopping habits to have reduced quite well and wanted to share it to some people out there who are looking for ways to save on shopping.

'Til my next preachy post! Hahahaha

xx

Back in Briz!

Back in COLD COLD FREEZING Bristol!

Can't lie; it's actually really nice to be back in this cute ambitious city. I'm struggling to acclimatise to the cold just yet, I'm already wearing triple layers and didn't think I'd have to already wear boots and a jacket so early in the F/W season.

My flight to London was horrible. I was, throughout the journey, completely air sick. I was just nauseous for the whole 13 hours. There was a delay and we were stuck in the plane for a good 2 hours before we could took off. So that's 15 hours of breathing cabin air. Ugh, thinking about it makes me nauseous even. I could only master the energy to eat 3 bites of the potato they served for lunch and skipped dinner because they were serving fish pasta. It was either that or chicken with mashed peas...

No to both, thanks.

The girl sat next to me chose to eat the fish pasta and she hardly touched it after having her first bite. Ick. They should really try to up the quality of the food lah honestly, MAS hear me out!!

I couldn't even watch anything because I was just too dizzy. All I remember ever thinking on the plane ride was me reciting Ayat Kursi and "Don't barf, don't barf, don't get sick, you're fine, breathe in breathe out, you're NOT going to vomit!".

Half an hour before landing, I took out the air sickness bag and barfed. Twice. I had to measly ask the girl next to me, "Can I please have your air sickness bag..." to which she looked at me sympathetically and gave hers quickly before I could barf on her.

And then, after landing, I had to calm myself and I left the plane quite late which was a huge mistake because the line for immigration was ridiculous!!! It was so long and it was such a drag! And worst of all, I was still feeling sick and nauseous. I was so close to passing my bags to Najwa and Shaza who were also in the line and making a run for the toilet.

We had a good 15 minutes before the bus came and Iqbal and I left for Bristol. That was another 2 hour journey. By then, although I had slept on the flight, I was just exhausted. Traveling is no joke.

After finally arriving in Bristol and catching a cab back to my place, I settled in because I never like to unpack late because I know if I hadn't done it then, I would probably live my next few months out of my suitcase.

So as tired as I was, I managed to actually unpack and reorganised my beyond-help closet and cook Maggi for dinner. Not before getting sick again. I don't know what was wrong with me, I never had to vomit 3 times in a row in a day.

I am currently staying at a friends place because guess what. There's no WiFi in my place. How the heck am I suppose to survive with no Internet?!?!?!?! No Korean variety shows?!?!?! No Youtube ????? No Whatsapp?!??? And to top it all off, I misplaced my UK simcard so I couldn't even go on my phone for Internet if I wanted to! You can imagine me on my bed tired and frustrated and on the near end of pulling my hair out.

And the cold is not helping. My sinus is back and with a vengeance, I haven't had time out from sneezing so much and I'm also coughing up a storm. My skin has gone so dry now that I have rashes breaking out! I never had this in Malaysia so it's definitely the sudden weather change that has caused a havoc party on my skin. I'm itching all the time and my skin especially on my legs and arms, have these mosquito bite like bumps. (I Googled - they're hives. I have hives.)

...

Guys, what I'm trying to say is that I haven't had a good few days in the UK and I only hope it gets better from now on.

xx

Did nothing

I'm clearly procrastinating on my packing. Leaving tomorrow morning and I'm just dreading the whole flight. I hate flights, I can't stand the smell of the cabin, I hate that I can't sleep even though I want to, I hate the screaming babies, I hate airplane food (how on earth do they get nasi lemak to look so incredibly dull, I will never know), I hate sleeping for what seems to be 7 hours only to realise it's only be 45 minutes, I hate it alllll.

I mean, the thought of going back to the UK is not unnerving, I guess. I've grown to like Bristol and living independently. I complain about cooking and washing for myself but I have to admit, it's quite fun handling things on your own. It's just that, I've got it so good here at home that the thought of going back to a routine is so dreadful. But I guess I'll get used to it.

My Mak Tok asked,

"So what did you do on your summer holiday this time?"
"Nothing... but that's exactly what I wanted"

I foresee third year to be a bit daunting, with coursework and assignments coming at you right left centre, so ideally I wanted to just spend the summer being a complete bum! And I did, so I'm quite pleased. And I went to freakin' Seoul which was if you didn't already know, the best trip of my life.

But I know the next 10 months I'm abroad will just pass me by so fast like how it has been the past 2 years so I'm okay and cool with things. And the fact that I have friends all over the UK is comforting because they're kind of like home to me. I don't mean to sound ungrateful in this blog post, I know a lot of people love the mere idea of studying overseas and I am, I thank God every single time but man, leaving home isn't easy. This has just triple assured me that I want to come back to Malaysia and work here and stay put.

When will Malaysia Airlines have WiFi on board please lah it'll be great to have internet access where I can watch 10 episodes of Running Man berturut turut, flights will be a lot more enjoyable and tolerable with internet, guys!!!

Wish me a safe flight!! Bye Malaysia love you forever and ever and ever will see you very soon insyaAllah!

xx

T-minus 1 week!

Can't believe I'm a week away from going back to the UK for my third year of degree.

The prospect of returning back to cold, gloomy UK got me having mixed feelings. I really want to prolong my stay in KL just a little bit longer but at the same time, I kinda miss Bristol. I don't however miss the cold. But when I'm in the UK, I'm essentially living alone so I have to cook for myself, go grocery shopping (or rather, have it conveniently delivered hehe) by myself, walk to uni by myself, it can be quite tiring and lonely, if I'm completely honest with you.

These past 3 months in Malaysia have been so nice and my mum used to always tell me to not always use the word "nice" because it's so common and vague especially with my English essays. "Be more descriptive!" she would say. But Malaysia is just that for me, it's nice. It's warm and it's comfortable and it's familiar and it's home. It's just nice.

Not looking forward to the imminent cold for 5 months straight but liking the idea of not having to sweat under the sun and my make-up melting off my skin.

Not looking forward to having to think of what to have breakfast, lunch and dinner but quite excited to start cooking again.

Not looking forward to walking uphill to university but anxious to start the new academic year with a new kind of semangat.

Not looking forward to living alone but at the same time, can't wait to live alone. Not because I don't miss my family (I do, everyday!) but because Bristol is like my time-out place, I don't know how else to explain it to be honest.

Like I said, mixed feelings.

xx

August Favourites

My monthly favourite for August is my new and improved skincare routine.

Ever since being exposed to the Korean skincare routine(yes... Korean... again...) (don't leave me please) and reading and listening about the huge hype, I decided to try it out. A friend also told me to try out Asian skincare as opposed to the Western skincare seeing how our skin type might differ from the Westerners. Never even thought about that so I'm glad someone told me.

So as Tania and I went to Seoul, we decided we should revamp our then skincare routine to a Korean one. Which required us to go shopping. And that's hardly ever a chore. Korean skincare lines are actually surprisingly affordable compared to the likes of Kiehl's and Mario Badescu and Dr. Murad (in which I've tried all and the only thing that's ever effective for me is MB's Drying Lotion - other than that, it was all a waste of moolah for me). From The Skin Food to Missha to Laneige to Tony Moly to Nature Republic, there were so many brands to choose from so what Tania and I did was try to get as many products from as many brands.

Since there are so many Korean brands, it was quite difficult to choose what to get because seeing how competition was stiff in the market, it is presumed that every brand would try to innovate and create the best product in the market. And all at a low price. 

So how does the infamous Korean skincare work?

I gotta admit, I've been slacking on my skincare (so it really is my fault) and the only thing I put on my face is moisturiser and eye cream. Obviously, that works perfectly for a lot of people (you lucky &*%$#@!, you!) but my skin is a little bit more high maintenance than that and I just wasn't bothered. 

There are 10 steps, sometimes even more according to what you like, in a typical Korean skincare routine so I'll share it here. I've been reading on this a lot lately so I'll try to summarise what I've learnt !

1 Make-up remover / Cleansing oil

This is such an important step because make-up is usually the culprit for acne. If you don't clean it properly, your pore gets clogged with the foundation and powder you wear and it doesn't really matter what you put on your face after, it's just not gonna work.

I'm still very loyal to my Garnier Micellar Water and I use it although sometimes I steal from Tania's cleansing oil - the Banila & Co.'s 'Clean it Zero' which is their best seller. It's such an interesting product though - you apply it clear but when it comes in contact with water, it turns a bluish purple colour and thus, melts away all traces of make-up. The Koreans are big on the gentle approach when it comes to washing their make-up off so they don't believe in rubbing your make-up with a make-up wipe or even with a cotton wool. How people use Clarisonic is beyond their comprehension!

2 Foam cleanser

If you're unaware of the 2-step cleansing system, this is what it's about. To ensure all dirt and sweat and excess oil and make-up and all that dirty stuff is completely off your face, the Koreans cleanse their face twice! For some people, this is already a step too many. But this was something I was already familiar with because I wear make-up and so I always wash my face twice to ensure that my face is as clean as it can get! It's said that you're supposed to allocate the same amount of time to wash your make-up as much as you allocated time to put in on in the first place. So if you take 20 minutes applying make-up, that means you should take 20 minutes off your time to wash it all off.

I'm currently using and absolutely loving Nature Republic's Snail Foam Cleanser. Yeap... snail. It's the newest biggest thing in Korea and every skincare brand has a line of snail products. Sounds icky and it is quite icky if you think about it - it's made of snail mucus but it's been acknowledged as one of the best cure for dark spots, wrinkles and age lines as well as acne so if you're aiming to have nice even skin, this is the best out there for you. For every shop we went, we were highly recommended the snail line and it is slightly more expensive than the other lines but I was curious to see how it worked!

3 Exfoliator

I don't do this daily but I always get excited using it. Why? Because you can literally see the dead skin peeling off from your skin. I'm using the one from Bio-Essence and it's the deep pore exfoliator. You won't use it too much though because then you'd be ridding your skin of its healthy nutrients. I do it about 3-4 times a week. I got myself a small bottle to test it out but I'm loving it loads. Your skin feels so much smoother, you just want to caress it all day. It also means that your skin is now properly prepped and primed for the following steps. 

4 Toner

Guys, I found the BEST SMELLING toner around!!!!!!!! It's an Aloe Vera one from Nature Republic and my God, it's probably my favourite thing to put on my face out of my entire routine because the smell is ridiculously good. 

I chose to get an Aloe Vera one because of its calming properties. My face tends to get very very red from all my spots and sometimes, when my eczema flairs up, I turn an awfully ladybug-like red. So, I wanted something that could help tone it down.

It's worked amazingly for me because now, my face isn't as red and I think it's largely thanks to this. 

And did I mention it smells like a little piece of heaven? I still have lots of it left but I'm going to get a few more bottles before I leave for the UK again.

5 Essence

The Koreans deem this as their most important step in their routine. The essence. It is meant to accelerate your cell turnover rate so this is particular very good for those who want to get a smoother and more even skin. Most people find that adding this step to their skincare routine has been incredibly helpful in clearing the skin of dark spots. The one I'm using at the moment is the Belif Anti-Aging Essence. A lot of young people stay away from 'anti-aging' thinking how it's not meant for them just yet but this is not the case with Koreans. A lot of them include anti-aging products into their routine because they strongly hold the belief that prevention is better than cure. Which is why there are so many Koreans who look so so so so so so much younger than what they really are. To them, it's better to start early than to kelam-kabut guna bila dah ada wrinkles and lines. Not that there's anything wrong with that, obviously, it's natural to have wrinkles but has it ever hurt when someone tells you you look much younger than you really are? Didn't think so.

6 Serum

The serum I'm using is by Missha and it's the Super Aqua one so as the name would suggest, it's super moisturising. A lot of products in Korea treat single issues - so for instance, there'll be a line of products specifically for moisturising and then there'll be one specifically for anti-aging. Here, you're meant to create your own little mixture and layer the serums. Some people go as far as using three different types of serums for three different types of problems. Sounds heavy but obviously, you don't have to use so many serums - one is enough, I'm sure.

7 Sheet masks

I read somewhere that the purpose of these sheet masks is to ensure that the products you've piled on so far don't go anywhere. It's like a seal, you're trapping all your products for the next 10-15 minutes and letting it completely absorb into your skin. 

And, it's fun as heck shopping for these. Koreans are huge on masks - they have stores just dedicated to masks as in they don't sell anything other than these masks which is pretty crazy if you think about it. They have so many different types of masks, you won't know where to start. My favourite ones are from Nature Republic, they are so moist and so cooling when you put on. You use it about 3 times a week. But I don't think there's a rule anywhere in the book that says you only have to adhere to specific number of times - it's pretty flexible and whenever you feel like having a mask day, you just go have yourself a mask day. 

Even if you're not into Korean skincare and you're just reading this 'cause of me (thanks, luv u), try out a mask! Your skin gets so plump and so sedap after that, promise! I highly highly HIGHLY recommend the masks over at Nature Republic ; they are the best for me, they're so moist and so cooling to wear and they don't tend to dry out as quick as some other masks. Go get it, use it and thank me later. 

(and yes, that's a SHINee mask that I've not used because I don't want to tear open their perfect faces)

8 Eye cream

This is a step that I'm sure we're all familiar with. I was using a Murad one before this but it ran out just in time for me to switch to a Korean brand. I'm currently using the collagen one from Etude House. Eye cream has always been an important step because the skin around our eyes is thin and therefore delicate so it's vital to have them moisturised and taken care of. 

9 Moisturiser

We're finally at moisturiser!! 

By now, my skin is so sticky and so shiny from the products I've applied but moisturiser is still moisturiser, you still have to have it on. When your skin is dehydrated, your body will produce more oil to your skin in order to have it moisturised. But it is often this oil that accumulates and comes in contact with bacteria that'll bring you acne. So, moisturise! 

I'm topping it all off with my snail cream moisturiser from Nature Republic. I love this line, it really is living up to its hype. This particular moisturiser is made up of 70% snail mucus which can be quite off-putting to some but you don't really think that when you see it. There are just so many snail moisturisers in the market but I decided to stick to the same brand as my foam cleanser to see how these two work out. So far, going great!

10 SPF

Seeing how it was super hot in Seoul, I couldn't live without SPF. Thankfully, because of it, I didn't get as tanned nor burnt as I thought I'd be. Also, because of all my dark spots, it's very important to religiously put SPF on to prevent them from getting darker. I've actually been quite good with my SPF so this was just like adding another familiar step into my routine. The one I've been using for the last few months is by Kiehl's and because you only use the tiniest amount of it, it lasts you a long time so it's really good value for money.

It's always been the case for me where skincare is not something you should be stingy about. Spend your money, if anything, on reputable skincare brands because it shows on your face in the long run. Also, you never know what they have in cheap skincare so always invest in proper skincare.

___

So far, this skincare routine, although a bit heavy and tedious, has been working well for me. I haven't had a pimple in weeks (I hope this isn't a jinx!) and I'm just loving it. Leaves my skin feeling really clean and smooth and moisturised. Once you've gotten used to the routine, it doesn't take much time (sheet masks aren't for everyday use anyway) nor effort. In fact, getting my skincare routine on is my favourite time of day because of how therapeutic it can be. 

I'm no expert when it comes to skincare, obviously, but everything I've spurted out in this blog post is all entirely things that I've read online from accredited sources and learnt from doctors and sales assistants. I'm all too familiar with skin problems so I educate myself by reading a lot of articles on skin in my free time and it's also actually oddly interesting.

___

Moving on to music, I've just realised I've not properly listened to an english song in ages that whenever I turn on the radio (hardly ever these days), it's like I'm listening to newer and newer songs every day when actually in fact, they've been on the radio forever. 

And then shortly after, I'm reminded why I don't listen to english songs anymore. I do, however, feel bad for abandoning my once much loved english TV shows. There's been so much hype for Suits these days, and to think I was a huge fan once upon a time! I think I shall try to catch up with it. 

LOL I say this as I watch another episode of We Got Married and Running Man. I've currently been so hooked on this show called The Genius, a variety game show, where 13 (?) members are gathered and each week, there's a game and it's all about tactic and alliances and betrayal amongst the contestants. It's so smart and so good with loads of unexpected twists. It's been on for 4 seasons now! 

Ok, so the music I've been listening to a lot lately; 

I couldn't find this song on Soundcloud but give 'Unforgettable' by 2BiC a listen. It's made me cry so many times now! Such a sweet melodic song with lyrics worthy of your tears! 

Ok, enough Korean in one blog post! 

Hope you're having yourself a great day! 

xx 

Seoul Day #7

Day 7!

After recovering from the havoc dream that was seeing SHINee, we calmed ourselves down with some retail therapy.

But first! Lunch!

Since this was our last full day, Tania wanted to go eat her favourite Indian food just at Sinchon. I didn't mind because I mean, I'm always game for Indian food anywhere in the world.

After finishing our lunch (I highly recommend this place too for anyone planning to head to Seoul! It's really good, Tania reckons one of the best she's tasted thus far), we left for Ewha Womans University.

Besides being an actual university, Ewha is also a great place to shop! Because it's heavily populated with university students, shops around the area are catered for a students budget so you can find yourself great bargains for similar or identical clothes you would otherwise find in Hongdae. We already thought Hongdae was cheap, but this was even cheaper! Such bargains you'd find here. Tania and I made a mistake of going here on our last day because man, the things we would have shopped!!  And just endless choices from one shop to another. I'm no good in bargaining but I'm sure if you know how to, they'd give you a good one. Prices range starts from 5000W which is ridiculously cheap for such pretty clothes that you would otherwise wouldn't be able to find here. Ever.

So if I were you, I'd go to Ewha first and then make your way to Hongdae (still my favourite place!). Chances are you'll get a lot more things out of your money. Tania and I didn't do **terrible** amount of damage here because we weren't sure of how much we actually had with us and we were flying off the next day so we wanted to save some money for any emergencies (which we didn't face, thankfully but damn, could've spend a lot more in Ewha!!!!)

After our shopping bit, we walked to the actual university. I didn't expect it to be that beautiful, to be quite frank! It was such a pretty sight! UWE whaaaat? Heh heh

As you can see, all the poses we would do is one with the peace sign. How Asian are we...

Tania is planning to do her summer school in Seoul at this very university and I hope all goes well for her because then I can follow heh heh man, even the thought of possibly going to Seoul again next year pumps me up!

After walking around Ewha, we went home to refresh ourselves before going out again to Hongdae.

Heat rant for the billionth time : 

Man, the heat was something else. We were just melting for most of the trip! If I were to go again, I don't know if I'd choose to go in August again. Maybe way way earlier or in September where it'll start getting cooler. Gila punya panas ok, tak exaggerate! 

We decided to end our night in Hongdae because it's both our favourite place in Seoul because of how ridiculously lively it is. Everyone's with their friends and just having a damn good time whether it's eating chicken with beer, singing karaoke, shopping, or gathering around Korea's next biggest popstar. The air was intoxicated with energy and it radiated such a youthful vibe. In short, every night was a damn party. A damn happening one, at that. There's bound to be a singer or dancers doing their thing for the crowd in every corner. It was so great and refreshing to see the passion in them. Tania and I came across this singer on his guitar singing English songs. He was brilliant. Blew me away with his voice. You can see a part of his song on my Instagram and also on Tania's. His guitar skills were ace but above all, his singing. So jazzy, so sultry, so damn melodious. Bit by bit, more and more people were crowding around this songbird, enamoured by his singing. Unfortunately, the police came and shooed him away which was a big pity because he was just THAT good and so many people protested against this because we didn't want it to end. I hope everything goes well for the chap, he deserves to be heard by the world!

I LOVE this shop. I bought the black skirt I was wearing in this blog post from this shop and I love the 2 unnie's working there!  They're so friendly (the blonde one even said I could speak Korean well hehe always makes my day that comment!!) and so helpful with so many things. They had a sick range of clothes to choose from, and it was all very exclusive to this shop only so you won't find the same ones elsewhere. SICK!!!! Best gila, always rambang mata. 

I wore the skirt that I brought from them earlier when we went for a second visit and the blonde unnie ('kak' in Korean basically) came rushing to me saying "WAAAA YEPPEOYO!!!" (Yeppeo = pretty) when she saw me. So cute lah. Also, to note : the Koreans and I can get along well lah, they're always so game for a selfie (or selca as they'd call it in Korea). Love them! 

Tania got a temporary tattoo from a stall somewhere in Hongdae and we were so pleasantly surprised when the guy manning the stall spoke perfect English. A Korean speaking English in an American accent is pretty hard to get by so we were surprised to say the least. Turns out he studied in America for quite some time. Handsome pulak tu hahaha

And I saw this lady doing henna so I thought why not! How random to do innai kat Seoul but oh well. 

Then, after a great great night out, we left for home which was just across the street. 

The next day, we left for KL already so we left the apartment by 1130 and headed for the airport. I'd highly recommend the place we stayed at because Hongdae Station has a direct line to the airport so it was very convenient for us. Anyone who wants to inquire about the lovely, lovely accommodation we stayed at, don't hesitate to drop me a comment! I'd gladly tell you. 

Thus our holiday comes to an end!

This is my first time going for a holiday and writing all about it in 7 different posts for each and every day. Usually, I'd sum it all in one post, at most two. Just goes to show how much I loved Seoul. 

I had high expectations of the place and I've never been so excited to go somewhere ever. So stepping foot in Seoul, amidst the crazy humidity, was exhilarating for me. I sound so over but it really was a dream come true once we got to Seoul. I loved everything about it, even up til the last day, I was amazed at everything I saw, from seeing how the people would obediently queue up to get into the tube (even London can't compete) to seeing the very buildings my favourite K-Pop artists would train at. Can you imagine me and Tania just 24/7 fangirling over a city?!?!?! 

From the fashion (we wanted to buy everything in stock), to the music (every shop we went in, we sang to every song they were playing), to the people (we couldn't stop gawking at their flawless complexion), to the vibrant energy and upbeat vibe the city effortlessly exuded. And I also loved (and am personally quite proud of) that I could hold a conversation with the locals even for just a bit, phew! My Korean wasn't as bad as I had initially thought; even Tania was shocked! It was great motivation for me to keep studying Korean.

Whenever someone asks me how was my trip, I don't usually go into great detail because if I do, I'll go on just forever and I'm scared to bore you to death so here's my conclusion, simply put, of my Korean holiday : 

Next to my own home, Seoul is my favourite place in the whole wide world. I'm not even close to kidding around - it really is one of the best places I've ever been. I've never been so happy on a vacation and I don't usually miss a holiday (because I tend to put the comforts of my own home over everything else) but I miss Seoul so, so much and if I was given the opportunity to go again, I would do it in a heartbeat. 

Also, special thanks to my little sister, Tania, for being so tolerant of me throughout the trip (if you think my complaining of the heat through my blog posts was annoying, imagine me there), and for being so patient with me. For planning everything ahead, and for being my personal GPS and tube map, thank you. I hope we can make this a tradition - us going on holidays just the two of us. We had the best fun and it was largely thanks to you for planning way in advance (she had an itinerary laid out like 3 months before). 

From freaking the freak out after seeing SHINee to getting lost in Gangnam to shopping up a storm in Hongdae and Myeongdong to randomly singing and dancing to Big Bang and Sistar on the streets, thanks my darling sister.

Love you, Tanners, even more than I love Seoul and EXO combined. 

And that's pretty major.

서올, 나 진짜 사랑해!!!!!! 빨리 한곡 가고 싶다!!! 정말 짱이야!!!!

xx

Seoul Day #6

Day 6!!!! Favourite day from the whole trip (and possibly whole year)!!!!

We dedicated this day to touring around Gangnam. Yes, that Gangnam. The Psy Gangnam. Gangnam is the district to shop if you're one of the rich and famous. We walked along Apgujeong Rodeo where you'd find your friendly ol' plastic surgery office after every 5 designer stores. We also came across the hair salon where Girls Generation would do their hair and make-up. Pretty surreal, guys!!!!!

Anyway, so the reason we made Day 6 all 'bout Gangnam because we wanted to be close to SM Town. What happened was, after leaving SM Town on our first trip there, Tania forgot to get something from the gift shop so we actually went back to SM Town after having late lunch at the Italian place just downstairs.

As she was paying for her things at the cashier, some of the employees were setting up this banner just next to it, about SHINee's new album. Tania looked and didn't think of it much because by then, the album has not yet been released. It was due to release on the 3rd of August. And she knew this because I had mentioned it to her earlier. What caught her eye was the date '5th of August'. She came out of the store and called me in to ask when the album was going to release. As I confirmed the 3rd of August, we both got a tiny weeny bit excited "... so if the album is releasing on the 3rd... what's on the 5th... ?" and she asked one of the employees to which she responded "fan signing upstairs".

Quite difficult to stay calm and composed knowing that SHINee will be just upstairs in a few days time. So we decided to come then on the 5th, but I kinda knew it would be difficult to get admission for the fan signing event. Regardless, we both still wanted to come to SM Town again. Thus, our trip to Gangnam!

So, first! We went to Gangnam but somehow, stopped at the wrong subway station and so we had to walk quite far to get to the tour bus stop. I persevered but survived only by complaining hahahaha I really really cannot stand heat, it's been like that always, I don't mean to be mengada or anything like that, I just really dislike heat, it's very suffocating and rimas for me. I pitied Tania who had to endure not just the heat but my complaining and whining but I mean, she's stuck with me for the rest of our lives anyway hahah

We had to go find the Gangnam Tourist Center which is where the kind lady told us of the tour options. The bus was leaving only an hour later so Tania and I had to go find lunch first. Damn. Susah. Nak. Cari. Makan. In the end we settled for a boring shrimp burger at McDonalds.

The lady at the counter couldn't understand my "Shrimp burger, please" and she was looking so confused 'til I altered my pronunciation to "She-rim bo-go, ju-se-yo!".

After eating and taking advantage of the cool a/c in McD, we headed out to the bus. Thank God the bus was also nice and comfortable with air-conditioner! We were the only ones aboard though, seeing how it was a weekday and it's not school holidays so tourist count is very low despite it being summer. The tour guide was an old man but he could speak English well and he showed us all the landmarks and bits of history about it which I genuinely found very interesting. Seeing how we were the only ones there, we could ask him questions personally. It felt like being on a private tour!

Hahaha I took this photo 'cause of CPK as it's a big family favourite for us. I remember going there EVERY Friday all the way in KLCC. Pity they've closed down, they had quality Italian food! 

We finished both tour lines in about an hour and and 45 minutes, if I'm not mistaken. This one is not bad compared to the previous tour bus we took. This one at least we learned something and not completely in a daze hahaha

We then walked to Garosu-gil, another street of shopping. You can find A Land here and lots of skincare shops that you won't otherwise find in Myeongdong or Hongdae. There's also a 3CE standalone store. The whole street exuded such a cool vibe and I kinda regret not going there earlier  on the trip to spend more time there. There were so many pretty café's along the street too!

For some odd reason, we didn't take much photos whilst in Garosu-gil. Like I said, I wished I'd spend a longer time browsing through the shops. It's just a small street but really cool shops like the vintage one (above). Apparently it's where SHINee's stylists got their clothes for their Married to the Music photos (below). 

Which leads us to the highlight of the day...

So after Garosu-gil, we left for SM Town. It wasn't that far to travel to Coex because it was already just around the area. 

We went at 730 I think and the event starts at 8, on the 5th floor. The escalator leading to the 5th floor was guarded by an employee so when Tania asked the girl, she said you had to register beforehand and obviously we wouldn't know how to do that. 

Regardless, Tania and I chilled at the café on the fourth floor and we saw fans diligently writing notes and letters to the SHINee members. We would too IF WE KNEW HOW TO REGISTER?!?!?!

But it didn't matter, for me it was as long as I could just ***see*** them. So what we did was camp downstairs by the entrance because they had to leave the building one way or another, right? 

As we expected, there were fans already downstairs although there weren't as many as we thought there would be, to be honest. There were fans who brought heavy-duty cameras and the girl next to me managed to take close-up photos of Jonghyun as they entered SM Town earlier. 

We saw Amber too from f(x)! She was walking to the building and we later found out it was 'cause she was the MC of the event (we watched a live broadcast of it on our phones). I didn't think much when I saw her (because I didn't realise it was actually her) 'cause she was dressed down with a grey hoodie and capri pants, but found it suspicious that this person was escorted by a security guard. I love Amber, would have loved to see her up close! 

We even saw some of the SM Rookies walk in, all wearing black with caps and masks to hide their identities. But they were all so fit and tall, it's impossible to not spot them. Some of the fangirls followed them in but Tania and I were too excited and nervous as we waited for SHINee.

Guys.

Finally.

They made their way down. 

The guards all came down first and they had to do some serious crowd control, not that there was a massive crowd, but it only takes 2 fangirls (us) to chase after the members, don't it? Thankfully, Tania and I got to the front 'cause like I said, crowd wasn't huge so it was relatively easy to get to the front anyway.

FREAK THE HELL OUT, GUYS. You can watch it all on the video that we made (earlier post!) but here are some blurry photos of my happiness hahaha

Onew was so sweet ok, he bowed to the fans !!!!!!! The others walked quite quickly to the car but Onew took the time to bow to us! How sweet!!

As I waited for them to come down, I kept myself occupied watching this...

SARANGHAEYO KEY OPPA!!!!

UGH THAT. WAS. SO. MUCH. FUN!!!! On cloud 9!!!! So surreal seeing them in person!!! Tania and I could hardly control our excitement along with the other fangirls. So freaking amazing and til this day, I still can't believe we saw them!!!!!

After completely losing it from seeing the boys walk pass us, we had dinner at the same Italian restaurant just downstairs and we had to calm ourselves down. We couldn't believe that we actually got to see them! We didn't have any expectations coming to Seoul to meet anyone but LO AND BEHOLD SHINEE ughhhh and for all SHINee fans, yes, they are as perfect as they look. So painful seeing Taemin omg I was just going to cry!!! We were ridiculously over the moon! 

If you haven't already watched our Seoul vlog, please do go watch it! Our little frantic episode at SM Town was all caught on camera also hehe 

Thanks for sticking around this very fangirl-y blog post you deserve a star hahaha

xx

Seoul Day #5

Back with another post of my Seoul trip!

Day 5 was a pretty laid-back day for us. The night before, a friend told me of a halal Korean barbeque place in Itaewon so since Tania and I were craving for anything really (will tell you about food in Seoul in a bit), we decided to go to this place called Eid.

You can get the directions easily on various review websites and/or on their Facebook page. Granted, it was a bit of a walk and with the heat, it was a bit trying for both of us. But we finally got there!

When we arrived, we weren't greeted with an 'Anyeonghaseyo!' which is what we usually hear but with a friendly and warm 'Assalamualaikum' by the waiter. How nice was that?!?!

He brought us the menu and he spoke fluent English with us, introducing and describing every dish there was and he also explained that they use different ingredients as substitutes for what is usually used. We were pleasantly surprised with how brilliant the service was because out of all the places we've been to, communication can be quite difficult and so this one was very pleasant and smooth.
After telling us of the different dishes, Tania and I chose the Korean barbeque which was what we initially wanted.

I asked the waiter if they had green tea in Korean and he was surprised that I could speak Korean well and we managed a short conversation and we found out that his brother is studying in UIA here in Malaysia which was suspected by both Tania and I because he brought out appetisers for us and he introduced one of them "This is ikan bilis" in which we of course loved. He then brought out the rice and barbequed beef.

Guys. IT. WAS. WORTH. THE. WALK. UPHILL. UNDER. THE. SCORCHING. HEAT.

So, so, so sedap! If this was what I've been missing out on all this while, someone slap me ! We finished almost everything. The ikan bilis (which he said was a sweeter version of ours here) was so good and the kimchi was also very very good and the beef was so good with rice!!! I just loved it. Wanted to go again but we were short of time.

After finishing our food, he brought out this traditional Korean tea. They had no other drinks 'cept for this one because they didn't have the green tea I had initially wanted. But, guys. This tea >>>>>>> green tea. It was super tasty and I can't really describe the taste to you. It was sweet and just the right amounts of all the flavours. It's called 'Omijacha' and it literally means five taste tea (O = five, mija = taste and cha = tea) and it's exactly that, sweet, sour, bitter, salty and hot. Sounds a bit odd and awkward but it is so good, really! Promise you! I haven't been to any Korean restaurants here in KL so I don't know if they have it here.

So what I'm really saying is that if you're planning to go to Seoul in the future, please make some time and effort to go to this restaurant. It's a small restaurant but the food and the service is brilliant. Tania and I were really pleased with our lunch hehe

After lunch, we went to Myeongdong with the sole reason of buying k-pop albums. For anyone wondering where they can buy K-Pop albums in Seoul, it's not as easy as one would think! Tania and I couldn't find a legit music store. So thanks to Google, we found that there were 2 in Myeongdong station itself. Find your way to Exit 6 and there will be small shops there selling clothes and souvenirs and there are 2 stores selling k-pop albums and merchandises . Which I went crazy over.

Tania and I borong the albums there because we knew we wouldn't get the chance to get original CD's that cheap and that easily in KL. Heck, we had to buy all of our EXO albums via online.

After browsing through Myeongdong and buying some things, we headed home. I bought a bag in Myeongdong and only to find out when I reached home, that it was missing its detachable strap so guess what I did? I went back to Myeongdong. Myeongdong is relatively quite a distance to travel to from Hongdae so it was so tiring but so worth it because I hadn't been to Myeongdong at night then and it was super lively, with the food stalls and lights and the crowd was so happening. Tania wasn't with me then because she was too lazy to travel so far so she just went to Hongdae's shopping site. After grabbing a quick dinner in Myeongdong, I headed home.

It wasn't an eventful day per se, but still tiring nevertheless!

Ah! As I wanted to say about food earlier, it's actually quite difficult to get ahold of good halal food in Korea. Other than that, the language barrier can be quite stifling for a tourist. I tried to communicate as best I can with what little Korean I know, but still, it was difficult. They're not English friendly and the more you speak English to them, the more they speak Korean back to you. Hahaha, elok lah dua dua tak paham each other. To get halal food, you have to do some research but my best bet would just to head to Itaewon where there'll just be loads of halal food for you to choose from.

Seoul lovin'!

Our Seoul trip now in video form! Tania and I both had so much fun in SoKo that we decided to make a video for our own keepsake. A lot of love went into making this video so we hope you enjoy it as much as we loved making it.

We took a lot more photos than videos throughout the trip but we made do with what we had and this is the end result! Tania and I spent the day and night making this video and though the whole process was tiring, we had fun. Made us miss Korea even more! We'll definitely definitely be back!
(I realised this video is a bit shaky but that's all because of my trembly hands, I'm no good in recording videos at all!  The good clips were all recorded by Tania so you have her to thank for that!) 

All songs are Korean because it was only appropriate that we had Korean tunes for a video about our Seoul trip and they're all linked so you can just click on them to listen to the full song;

Attraction 갖고놀래 by Bumkey (feat Dynamic Duo 다이나믹 듀오)
Playboy's Diary by Primary 프라이머리 (feat 정기고, Dead'P)
That Girl by Andup (feat Crucial Star)
Question Mark 물음표 by Primary (feat Zion T & Choiza of Dynamic Duo)
Miss Right by BTS 방탄소년단

많이 많이 사랑해 주세요!

xx

P/S : We are now aware of the grammar mistake in our hashtag #nadiataniagoesSoKo thanks to our English teacher mother, but #nadiataniagoesSoKo sounds so much nicer than #nadiataniagoSoKo so we're going to just stick to that hehe