Things I Wish I Could Tell My Younger Self

Ahhhhh it feels so good to just stay in bed longer than usual. 

So my new year resolution of wanting to write or blog more is just ugh. Anyway, I'm just glad that my life is going pretty well and organised. I ended my internship smoothly. I even splurge few bucks for my supervisors and I hope they will remember me. (or maybe they don't have to) The internship was great and I learnt to be mentally and physically strong. Mental torture due to criticism, physical torture due to the workload. But overall, it was a great experience and the technicians were incredible!

So today I feel like sharing my thoughts on "What would I give to my younger self?" 

 Thanks to @theduckgroup contest and Mother's Day Celebration, I feel like browsing through some old photos of myself, growing up. As I was reminiscing some good 'ol time I once had, there were few things I wish I could tell the younger version of myself.

Be a good friend

Be the friend who knows to listen and when to offer advice. Make others feel better about themselves. Talk about yourself less. Celebrate your friend's accomplishments. Respect her decision. And remember that any relationship can atrophy without effort.

Never assume you have any idea what someone is going through

Most people are working harder and struggling more that you'll ever know.

You will start seeing your parents more with each passing year

You will learn that you will never understand just how much they sacrificed or the difficulties they trudged through so that your life is better. You will see people might not like you, put the blame on you, judge you and left you behind - but your parents will only see the beauty in you. Love is just so powerful.

Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you

Not to take advantage, but to get motivation. Motivation is contagious. You will be happier trying to improve that living in complacency.

A person's negative behaviour is often more a reflection of themselves than of you

You will let toxic words and people get to you. You will let them form grooves in your spirit. You will eventually learn how to fill those crevices with strength. You will see that you are way better than him/her and you will learn to love yourself.

Say NO

Say it again and again. Practice ignoring the guilt that comes from putting yourself first.

Before I end my blog post, here is a photo, which I think I should share with you.

Aww I'm so cute (lol)

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers in the world! You guys are just amazing. (like how can you resist your temptation not to buy that LV bag just because you think your children need the money more than you, aigoo haha)

Happy days ahead!

♥

Living In The Present

 "We're too busy focusing on past and future that we tend to ignore the present and enjoy life." - Anonymous

The last time I posted something on my blog was in January and I am extremely sorry for not updating any post after that. I was super busy with my final exam and now I'm about to enter my second week of internship in Kapar. Last semester was hectic but Alhamdulillah, I managed to get a pretty good result. Overall, my internship life was okay but I hope I could do better in the following weeks.

Before I went to Kapar, I had to attend a classroom training in ILSAS for two weeks. The module were basically on leadership skills and technical stuffs (mostly for the electrical engineering students). At night, we usually spent our night on bed, doing nothing. My friend and I always ended up in a serious conversation about financial planning, marriage and etc (tbh, I feel so old when talking about all these stuffs), until one night something came up in our mind and we were thinking about how bored and unhappy our life is because we were too busy worrying about the future.

I believe we tend to spend most of our time replaying past moments or planning too much for the future, that we miss out on the great moments that are unveiling right before us. We don't take the time to enjoy the present moment. This is sad because we have no idea how many more moments we will be fortunate to experience. I am not proposing that we should spend less time planning, use all our savings and etc. That would be misguided advice. Goal setting is important for us to have the motivation to move forward and be better each day.  It's just that our random discussion we had with our peers were all about building the future but what about building the present? We all desire genuine happiness, and in order to manifest this joy, we have to live presently. Too much focus on the future often leads to stress and negative thinking - and these are not good for us.

"When I live in the past or future, I miss out on the freedom and peace in the now" 

So why we should living in the present?

1. Present moment is the only moment you have control over right now

No matter how much you plan you never know for sure how life is going to play out. The only time you will know is when you are in that moment. You can choose to enjoy the moment or you can choose to loathe the moment. You can choose to use the moment with something good or ignore the moment completely - cause in that present moment, it is yours to control. Planning may help you accomplish your goals but it will not help you to improve your quality of life for the present moment. Planning isn't going to guarantee you a desired outcome for the future, so why not accept what you can control now?

2. Each moment is a gift

There is no guarantee on the number of moments you will get to experience. Therefore, we should not take moments for granted. Plan when it is necessary not at the expense of you enjoying the present moment. Life is short, so enjoy it while you can.

3. Living in the present will make you happier

Too much of long term planning is going to prevent you from enjoying the beauty of now. Don't impede yourself from experiencing contentment. Practice living presently, and observe how it makes you feel. Plan when you need but don't lose sight of what is currently happening.

Find a balance between living in the moment and planning. You are only going to be able to control the moment you have right now. The moment you have right now is a gift. Enjoy less stress by relishing the moment. Accept present as it is and choose to be happy by doing stuffs you like to do. Plan as you feel necessary. Save money for a family and house. Invest in yourself. Set goals for yourself and as you live your life, make your dream a reality. In this pursuit of planning, don't forget about where you are in the present.

So how's your present moment doing?

Happy Sunday!

xx

Thoughts 2.0

 Having a short date with house mates after our test. Since none of us look good (our paper was ugh), hence the shoes selfie :)

 Just ended my super busy weekend with... me sitting in the living room trying to get my other work(s) done. So who says uni life is easy, kids? It's not about you bumping guys on your way to library and fall in love and have a wonderful happy ending. That's all fantasy people create. Sigh.

I won't talk much about my test. Because test is always something else than what I did during lectures / tutorials / self study. My CIDB talk was okay since the presenter was good. Thumbs up! ( can't wait to get that green card and I can brag about myself - on my way to become a good engineer - In shaa Allah )

These semester, I just realised staying with a small circle of people is better. I decided to get away from those people who (I think) keep on giving me all those negative vibes. Reason? Just to let me stay happy and positive. I just realised sitting together with a society who practicing unhealthy jealousy, sarcasm and badmouthing others will only make me stress.

1) If he/she could say those bad stuffs about others, he/she might also spread your bad sides to his/her colleague.
2) Who are you to judge when you, yourself aren't good enough?
3) I've been living with a very good society who take full care on what I did - which they don't have to ?!?

(These thoughts were also pointed to me - myself, a sinful person)

Getting away doesn't mean ignoring, it's just reducing the time I spent with them. That's all. 

I just realised, life is like a piece of blank sheet. And I am the one who are responsible to choose what pattern / color that I would like to use to create a beautiful painting called life. I'm so blessed that so far my life is all about good lucks. I have mom who dearly loves me, a brother who (always forgot to bring his wallet when we went shopping so we need to lend him our money - whatever) proudly says he have a good sister like me (perasan mode on) and my friends who always see the good things in me. And I think one way for me to (so called) paint my life, is to dearly love those people who love me for who I am. To see good things in myself. To always in the position of trying to improve in studies / health / financial and etc.

Trust me people, if you are grateful, the biggest and smallest thing in life will make you content. Try to love others (without expecting anything back), try to not compare yourself with other people, instead use your capability to show that you are also good. Remember, Allah SWT creates us with their own speciality :)

Have a nice week everyone. Next week is my submission week! I have three assignments to be submitted and luckily I've done two out of it - working on my third.

I hope you have a cheerful week!

xx

2K17

Went to Dotty's in TTDI for (heavy) tea time with the usuals, Nabil and Aishah :) The foods were great! For more info, you can check their instagram: @mydottys (Oh and I don't panjat the kerusi for these photos if you guys wondering how these photos turn our to be so nice and pretty - or maybe you don't bother pun, okay whatever!)

Quite steep but for once in a year (yeke) okay lah. The chicken pie was superb and the smoked salmon was pehhhh! 

Fav girls:

So,

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! 

I wish I could insert the sound of fireworks for background music just to tell you guys how excited I am! We finally say hello to a brand New Year. I know most of you could see how I retweeted all birthday wishes on Twitter not to brag to all of you about my birthday (haha, actually yes - I gila wishes sikit) but just, I was touched with some small gestures people did to me. Some were not even my close friend but they did wish me and I'm so happy to max! Thank you people. May Allah bless you. 

I wish I could screenshot all birthday wishes I got through Whatsapp, iMessage and Telegram but some of them were cheesy and touching - I decided to keep it to myself. My best friends are the best! We might 'terasa' for some stupid reason like;

"Dia tak kejut aku pun pagi tadi"

"Dia tak senyum pun kat aku tadi doh"

"Dia tak ajak aku pun"

"Dia ni busy je tak boleh nak Facetime ugh"

 and many more stupid stuffs. Funny right? I hope me being 22, I won't be this childish anymore haha!

Like previous years, 2016 was full with ups and downs. And these ups and downs were the reason for me to grow wiser and smarter (and chubbier - HELP!) I take each and every happy and painful memories as a start for me to be a better person in the upcoming years. I hope I will always grow healthier, happier and brighter!

Above all this, I would like to thank Mom for taking good care of me until I am who I am today. I may not be a good daughter, but I hope Allah will always ease her, bless her and giving her all the love she deserve to get. Mom is always the best :) 

Ok, so here are my resolution for this year!

1) To snack less and exercise more. To at least gain that healthy weight - not to go skinny. I won't turn all organic, I cannot avoid delicious local foods and fried chicken! But to stop snacking on junk foods, to lower down my sugar intake. I think that is good enough for start. Exercise? I'm not a run/jog person so maybe I'll go for indoor exercises like watching exercise videos on Youtube or maybe I could do zumba. I'll try those maybe this evening... or night.... or tomorrow (the days continues - jk jk)

2) To not waste time. I want to manage my time well. Prepare everything before hand, do things efficiently, wake up early so I can get more things done. 

3) To care about myself more. This includes me paying attention on my health and do things I love to do. Like reading more novels, listen to more good music, watch good dramas/movies and etc. (did I mention about time management before? jk)

4) To cook more. I want to eat home-cooked food more since that is the best food ever!

5) To blog more!

6) To ask more. I want to educate myself to go and seek for my lecturers if I have something that I cannot understand. I want to learn and understand so I could practice what I learnt today in future. Not just to pass my exam.

7) To take serious action on money management. I want to increase my savings from RM 1/day to RM2/day yay!

8) To be more spiritually engaged. I want to recite Quran more often, take good care of my prayers, constantly performing Dhuha and etc.

9) To travel more and learn more and experience more.

Okay, that's a lot!

As you guys know, 2016 has been a terrible year for the world. There were so many sufferings going on, politically and economically. So many natural disasters including earthquakes and etc happening in other countries which scared me a lot. Wars and terrorism were never ending, and the world is terrifying so I always remind myself to always pray for the world. I pray for 2017; that this world is going to be a better place for everyone, spreading more love than hate and all the great things will happen in our life. 

Happy 2K17! Thank you for reading my blog for the past few years! I'm so touched :)
Hope you have a wonderful year.

xx

Finding happiness in everyday life

Picture taken one year ago - different place, different weather, same aim ♥

Hello blog! I miss you!

I've been putting off blogging for a while now, I just never made time for it until today because I just started my new semester and I'm doing good so far. Even though I was somehow separated from my common peers, I'm glad that I can still doing good, have a bunch of new friends and etc. I take whatever happens to me now as a preparation for my working life soon - hope it helps! I took SEVEN subjects this semester and I hope I could do a major comeback! I even started my semester by joining a volunteering program under YTN. What a productive start!
Today I feel like blogging about something related to the word joy or happiness.
As I'm writing this, I think to myself; "wait, is there any other life on Earth than our normal 'everyday life?'" Sigh.
We are spending most of our time waiting for something to happen - in short, we live in expectations. We spend A LOT of time waiting for the 2 hours class to end soon, for that weekend to come, for vacation, for payday and etc. You can spend your entire life, questioning this: 
I'll be happy if (fill in the blank) - 10 marks
You can spend your whole entire life waiting to start living - and this will never make you feel happy.
 ♥ HAVE A GRATEFUL HEART 
GRATITUDE is the fastest way to change your life. The thing is, it's not about "thinking" about the things you want to feel grateful for. It's about appreciating things around you, today, this minute, now! Practicing gratitude is like training your brain to see and notice constructive themes in your life. So how to feel grateful? You can simply say Alhamdulillah every morning for giving you the chance to live again, say Alhamdulillah for the breakfast you had today, say Alhamdulillah for the sound of nature that you  can hear today and etc. You can even write a journal and state 5 things that you feel grateful for, everyday :) - which I never day. Alhamdulillah is enough :)
♥ LEARN SOMETHING NEW 
Find pleasure in learning new things. You are never too old to earn something  new, it's never too late to try something new. Never too late to do something for a very first time. Be a lifelong learner. It can be from learning a new language or doing the very basic step of Bangtan's dance (okay, not related) to photography, sport and etc. You might discover a new talent or find passion that you never knew you had. Find something that brings you joy and makes you feel happy. It doesn't matter how old you are - it's never too old to learn something new :)
♥ BE PRESENT
A lot of us, not most of us, spend our time worrying about the future or regretting our past. If you think about it, THIS moment, THIS moment right here is never going to repeat itself. So, if you are reading a book, doing your assignments, sipping a cup of coffee, slurping your Gongcha (my fav and I just got them last 2 day, so happy) or doing other stuffs, do your best to be 100% present.
♥ SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE PEOPLE
Gossip, complaining, nagging and negative thinking - these are things that we all do from time to time. I usually okay with people who talk bad stuff about me behind my back or etc but as I grow older, I can stand being around those people who always judge what I do and says those negative stuffs about me - worst case: on my back! 
I literally feel my energy levels drop and I start to talk bad stuff about that person too which I shouldn't do! I notice that if i happen to have an outburst of negativity, it bothers me. It doesn't feel good, it's like I want to just shake it off. I start to shift my focus into something positive. 
REMEMBER: Your life is your story, that's why you should edit it as often as you'd like. You don't have to feel guilty about cutting someone out of your life if they are a negative influence (and cutting someone out doesn't mean you throw them out completely, just maybe they won't be your common peers, but to be a friend who says hello or hi is okay) Surround yourself with people who make you feel good about yourself, with people who smile a lot and laugh a lot, people who want to see the good in others. Trust me, if you're seeing good in people -you'll definitely become a successful person. I see many successful person are those who not selfishly doing his job to be successful, is by having a circle of peers to work together and smell the bliss of success together (aww, so sweet)
Remember to always be grateful every single day - that is the main key to happiness. Till then.
xx

Eid Adha / Sacrifice

Picture credited to my brother. 

Happy Eid Adha everyone! It was a tiring day. However, I experienced a lot of new things today so I'm beyond happy. Today, I got the chance to do ibadah qurban. I got the chance to see how they slaughter the cow, how they divided the meats, and of course, the chance to eat the meats! (yes with s) 

Eid Adha is a festive celebrated by Muslim to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim a.s to sacrifice his son as an obedience towards Allah S.W.T. It also marks the climax for Hajj or Pilgrimage, the 5th pillar of Islam.  This annual pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah is an obligation for those who are physically and financially able to perform it once in a lifetime.

When it comes to Eid Adha, the best word that come across my mind is the term sacrifice. I believe most of us have been facing a lot of life wrecking moment when you need to sacrifice something you want to do, someone you love, something you want to eat or etc for something else. And yes, I did experienced that life wrecking moment like more than 100 times, I guess.

For instance, my friends were sacrificing their Raya which they should be celebrating this great day with their family for the so-called future indicator called final exam / study. May Allah bless their good deeds and efforts with flying color results (if korang study le, tehee)

To be honest, there are million things vying for my attention almost every time, and I find myself making decisions every minute, especially when college life is all about you and yourself. Your own time, financial and stress management and etc. Often, even taking time for myself seems a waste, but its a sacrifice I need to make for myself (which I rarely did - because sometimes I need a break from those scientific - engineering terms).

The biggest sacrifice I did was to leave all my interest towards Psychology for an engineering course, which at first was the most saddest thing in life. However, as life goes on, miracles start to pop out and I enjoyed every seconds I had spent studying mechanical engineering. I met few people who loves me for who I am, lecturers who were super cool and biggest present from God is the chance to fly to Germany. The best part is, because of my success I manage to fulfill my mom's dream to travel to Germany - wasn't that cool?

Therefore, I started to convince myself that whatever sacrifices I need to do in the future is always worth taking because life's call is always better. Cause what? Cause God's plan is always the best!

My favourite verse from Quran since school is from Surah Al Baqarah, 216:

"Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not."

Therefore, never regret what you have left behind, cause you never know what miracles awaits you in the future. So always have faith in Allah S.W.T no matter what. Sometimes success doesn't come in terms of wealth. Success is a huge word with a lot of meaning. Even if you manage to catch a mosquito in a single try is a success (okay bad example, whatever). I mean, don't focus success = money / wealth. If not, you'll never feel enough, you'll never be thankful and that is not good.

Therefore, always be thankful and appreciate those who sacrifices for us. Even for the simplest or the smallest thing, they mean a lot. (I told ya this word like 3 times already, whatever)

Happy Eid Adha. Maaf Zahir Batin :)

My carry marks was like ugh, I better go study now. Pray for me everyone. Your sacrifices to spend a minute to pray (for me) is much appreciated. Love you :)

xx

Plagiarism

I believe everyone knows what Instagram latest move and it's quite a surprise for me (and I think you too as well).  The similarities are strikingly unbelievable, except that the dog face filter. I believe you know what I'm trying to say now. Tehee. 

Frankly, we are living in the era where nothing is original anymore - therefore, this issue should not come to us as a surprise. We live copying each other and nothing is wrong about that as long as it does not hurt anyone.

So everyone, to what extend does an inspiration become a plagiarism?

Well it depends on how you view this kind of issue. So here is my opinion: I think there is no harm to be inspired by someone's good idea, but to copy exactly the same is I don't know, a shameful thing ?? I believe we have our own originality, our own authenticity. Inspiration should be followed by improvements to create something way better than before. Not just simply to follow the wind. But I do believe there is a good thing from this Instagram -Snapchat issue - at least we're connected. (Like I can finally see GD so called snapchat - he never expose his snapchat ID to everyone kot haha - kasi can sikit)

 I cannot say much because I myself is a copycat. But, whatever I copied from others, I will personally do some changes on it to help me become way better than before. You may see how worst my English is, but this is actually an improved version - all thanks to bloggers that I've been following all this time. I did copied some of their ideas, add up with my thoughts and that is what you've been reading throughout this years. I believe improvements are something that you learn not only from yourself, but from others too. But, there is this fella we called limits. We need to know our limit. It's okay if you want to get a whole set of make up stuffs from Sephora because you want to look as pretty as those girls on Instagram or what, but before doing that, always ask yourself - 

1) Is this going to be worth it?

2) Can I afford this?

3) Is this really important?

And more questions...

See, you don't have to live someone's life to be happy.  Always know your limit! Why you want to broke later just to be presentable to people out there now? When you are too busy catching popularity at a very young age and end up working damn hard later when people already own their bungalow and Mercedes? (this is what I've always put on my mind when I wanted to get myself something which is so so unnecessary - but I just cannot help to get myself that facial pack from Hermo, sorry dear self haha)

But if you do afford it, it's okay you can go grab them. It's you who are responsible to set your own limits guys! I don't say you cannot get what you want. I say know your limit. That's all :) No hard feeling okay!

You'll see how happy or bright someone's life in Instagram or Facebook or any social media, but hey, no one will post their problems in their social media accounts guys! It is always the happy and good memories that people will share with you. They won't share a picture of them punching his friends, they won't share a video of them being abused, they won't share a video of them being left alone or etc. 

Trust me - to live authentically is the best! So live your life to the fullest. Love yourself.

Oh and to all bloggers who are hurt by my post which looks similar to yours, I'm deeply sorry - you guys are such an inspiration so I cannot help but to be inspired :) Always inspired people ok!

Last: Be yourself, cause others are already taken. :)

Peace yo!

P/S : My second phase of stress week is going to start soon. 

I have three papers in one day so wish me luck!

xx

Thoughts

Before I start my ramblings, let me wish you guys: 

Happy Eid Mubarak!

And here the 'pau' version of myself. Tehee!

So my raya was okay. I had the chance to celebrate first raya with my atok and my mom's big family (of boys - yeah atok have 7 cucu lelaki and 2 cucu perempuan) lol. My raya was all about visiting moms' friends in the hospital. It breaks my heart to see when we're enjoying this great day happily, there are some who are less fortunate than us - have to spend their days and nights in the hospital because they are sick or they are taking care of their family members who are sick. May Allah bless them. Amin.

I've been spending my nights doing my never ending assignments and lab reports and sometimes I take a couple of minutes to scroll through Twitter and Facebook, just to make sure I'm aware of what is happening around the world today! And the latest (not so latest actually) was about cyber bullying. 

Before I start, just to let you guys know that I'm an engineer to be and all the scientific - medical terms that I'm going to use right after this were all thanks to Google and Wikipedia lol. (I told you right how I really interested in Psychology - so I read them okay)

Bipolar disorder or to make it simple, depression is real. At a certain point, suicidal thoughts will start to linger in their mind when they think that is the better option to do. So, this depression thing-gy is not something you can joke around. Some people take this so lightly and start to think what kind of human being is she/he (the person who suffers depression and bipolar disorder) is. Even worst when they used social media as a medium to say how stupid that person to kill herself/himself. Hey dude, you better watch what you say!

I know suicide is haram but isn't there any better way to say 'please don't kill yourself' in a polite and good words? Why you choose to mock or bash a person, why you choose to say she/he is stupid or other not-so-nice words to someone who suffers depression? 

I know this person is not categorized as those "the girl who guy want to date" because she's just a normal girl who's not the perfect girl as your girlfriend or what, but hey, she's still Allah's creature and who are you to judge? You judge Allah's creation is not your taste? Hey! Subhanallah!

Our society and mentality is sickening and they are good at spreading this kind of issues in a split second. (Well yeah, thanks to Twitter and Facebook, right?) Same goes like the limo surprise case! (Just imagine if your boyfriend/husband doing the same thing to you - you'll be happy too right, so just be happy for her lah). Oh and for the dUCkscarves issue when people bashing FV team instead of believing "ada rezeki, adalah" - life motto instead. (Oh no, no I'm not working with Fashionvalet team haha)

I don't know how you guys think but for me there are times it's better to remain silent than to say harsh words. It's better to take care of your own problem than being a busy reporter. Or at least, study everything, know the story from the very beginning and then start to say few words - if you think it's necessary. I know you're kind, good people who want her to live a normal life like you do, so instead of bashing, why don't you splurge her with good words? I believe everyone loves good things - including good words! Why be rude when you can be good everyone?

 I'm deeply sorry if I hurt anyone. Cyber bullying is a wide issue and it's not specifically stated for what-happened-in-Twitter issue only! I'm not backing up anyone because I'm not a pro in Psychology or what, it's just that I know bipolar disorder is actually exist and it can cause harm to certain people - and these people needs motivation not harsh comments! And I know suicide is not the last solution for every problems.

Let's be a kind-hearted warrior, not just a keyboard warrior. Shall we?

Salam Aidilfitri. Maaf Zahir Batin!

xx

Searching for Passion-Filled Life

I've been doing nothing since the day I left Germany. Just doing some simple errands like sending off my little brother to school, kafa and tuition. Go out when I feel like I want to but most of my time - I sleep! Haha. The weather is just ugh - panas gila! (Subhanallah, let's thing Hell is 10000xx hotter than this - ok ok)

So back to my topic, have you ever wondered what your passion is? Have you ever have moments in life when you reach a stopping point and second-guess your decisions? 

"What am I doing now?" "How did I get here?" "Do I even like doing this?" "Is this me?"

 I've been there numerous times over the course of my life, starting in high school. I remember one particular scenario when I was questioning whether to go for this one interview ( I can't remember the details ) or YTN Scholarship interview. (At that moment, I was extremely mad like: WHY YOU MUST BE ON THE SAME DAY?!?) I was questioning myself, should I go for engineering but it's in a local uni (and I badly want to go out from the country) or should I go for accounting and I can study abroad? 

Though I've had moments of clarity, joy and satisfaction, the lingering self-questioning had been a continued thread throughout my life. I am a person who wants to live to the fullest, experience as much as I can and have a lot of fun doing whatever I love, so I am not surprise that every night before sleeping - asking myself,

"What else is there?" "Am I doing what I love?" "Is this the path I should be on?"

Recently, a friend of mine asked me what makes me happy. 
(I'm so happy I got this kind of friend)


"What are you passionate about?" 

I sat quietly for a minute and my mind filed and filtered through my past - likes and dislikes - searching for an answer. As hard and deep as I looked, I couldn't quite answer her. There are many things in this world that excite me and make me happy (even Yoo Si Jin can excites me, lol) but hearing the word 'passionate' struck me harder than I expected. Some people might say that I'm super cliche - well, I can just answer, I have passion in what I study and other stuff but hey people, I am a critical thinker. Lol!

When I was in high school, I would rattle numerous things that I was passionate about - reading novels, helping others, travel, music, acted in a drama, go out to represent my school . But as I move through life and live different experiences first-had, my passion for certain things changes. It's not that I am less passionate but I am more focused. With more experience comes more knowledge and self-awareness. We are also constantly learning more about ourselves and started to learn how to love ourselves. The added knowledge we have means more defined passions or letting go of past 'passions'.

My friends happen to be a future doctors, psychologists (ah, I'm so jealous), business owners and etc - all with distinct paths, clear visions, and focused passion. Sometimes I am hard on myself for not knowing my 'passion path' and meandering on off-road detours. But when I find myself starting to second-guess past decisions that may have caused my deviation off-course, I have to remind myself that it all takes time. I have to remind myself, that God's plan is the best!

Life is a process of learning, experiencing, living through mistakes, making hard decisions, and exploring our passions. It's one exhausting, fun, painful and joyful ride (yeah like how I rode the The Side Kick in Movie Park Germany), but it's our ride and we will get there, in our own time, soon :)

P/S: I never regret every decisions I've made so far. My life is super great and I love what I study now, I love my sponsor, I love my family - I love all the beautiful things I've been through! It's just that I need to have clearer vision on what to do next. I don't want to get an A for nothing - it was a hectic thing to get an A okay! Like seriously - hectic!

No I didn't do my deep thinking in front of this lake - it was just a photo lol

Hope you have a nice week :)

xx

Travel tip: How To Pack Light As A Girl

Being a girl can work to your assets or against you when it comes to travelling light. Fortunately, I've had 21 years to deal with my baggage. There are things a guy just can't understand. The key to packing light here is elegant minimalism. Here are some tips on how to pack lightly :)

Clothing

For the most part, there's not too much to be said here other than the key is having versatile pieces that mix, match and layer well. In fact, being a girl can be an advantage because dresses/tops are absolutely fantastic and can be very comfortable for travelling as long as you don't insist on taking that Ted Baker dream piece (tehee). Leave those at home unless you've got special occasion. Think of them as awesome rewearable onesies that take very little space or time to clean. Plus, what girl doesn't look great wearing them? You are beautiful in whatever you wear, girl.

Tip: I usually bring lots of black, grey and white shades of tops, a black/army green parka or a denim jackets. I think that is the easiest way to rock my journey. Bring something you can comfortably wear and you don't need to go through all the hassles like ironing or etc. For Muslim, I usually wear my square scarf for like 2 days then change it into something easy to wear like no-need-to-iron scarves. I usually bring my black/dark green/brown scarves with me. It is easy to mix and match!

Jewelry

I like jewelry like any girl but stick to your statement jewelry. You know your go-to, uniquely-you everyday jewelry. You are not Cleopatra, girls!

Tip: My jewelry basically are my rings (yes i love rings) and my watch (should I consider this jewelry lol). I think that are the most important things I need to put on to make myself complete! For Muslim, I usually bring a small box with 2 small sized pins and 2 medium sized pins and 5 "jarum peniti".

Shoes

Admittedly, I tend to get hung on shoes. At the bare minimum, I need my flip flops for any unsanitary places and my flats that are versatile enough for walking around the day and going out. I feel like bringing the whole closet with me, wth!

Tip: I usually bring 3 pairs of shoes with me. (it's hard to minimise further lol) My slipper, my sneakers and my fancy walking shoes (aka Mr Tiger). Heels are absolutely a big no no for me. You are going out for exploring the cities and nature, not doing fashion show dude! But well, it's up to you :)

Make up

I purposefully go out of my way to buy either a makeup container/travel sized versions of product, despite the fact that they're usually not the greatest value. I usually bought a small sized shampoo/bath soap from Guardian/Watsons. Sometimes, I just fill in the small empty bottles (cute and nice) with shampoo and soaps and bring them all with me. 

REMEMBER: YOU CANNOT BRING MORE THAN 100ML LIQUID BOTTLES WITH YOU IN YOUR CABIN BAG!

Tip: I put all my liquid bottles in a very nice bag organizer ( I bought them in Typo ), so when it comes to the moment when I need to declare my stuffs, I will just show them the bag :) My make up kit includes: compact powder, lip balm, lipstick, eyeshadow (mini travel kit by Silkygirl - with shades of brown) and mascara. 



Hair

Being a girl in hijab, I really pay a lot of attention to my hair. Luckily, I have a conveniently travel sized hairdryer so I will bring it to almost anywhere I go - except if I know that the place I'm going to stay will provide me with a hairdryer.

Girl's Monthly Consideration

I keep a bare minimum of 5-7 pads in my bags at all times. Others, I will just go to any convenience shop and buy it!



Hope this will help you! Happy travelling!

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