The Bittersweet Facts of Living Away From Friends and Family

Study hard, get good grades, graduate, get a good job, get married, start a family, grow old. I think it's safe to say that most of us have been taught from young that this is how life is going to be, that these are the stages of life that one has to go through. I, myself, included. 


Well, it's been almost a year since I moved to my capitol city.


It's not something that has been planned. It's not some kind of carefully constructed "next stage" I had in my head. It's more like a "spur of the moment" kind of decision which was based on the fact that I got my first job (which is my current job as a radio announcer) in my own country.

You see. I grew up in a small town in another state. After 21 years of being in my hometown, I "sort of" moved abroad to the UK for about 4 years. So, basically, these are the only two places I've been for the entirety of my 25 years of existence.


So, as you can imagine, all of my closest friends are no where near me. My family lives in a different state. Although I do have my brother staying in the capitol too, we both live in different areas and have different jobs that we are busy with.


If you haven't already seen from my previous posts, I mentioned that I was in the UK quite recently. This time around, the facts hit me pretty hard. My loved ones are scattered all over the world. Families that I love are in Australia, my closest friends - people that I've known for ages - are in UK, my best friends are back in my hometown.

I'm not saying I haven't made any friends whilst living here, because believe you me, there are a few people that I would literally give up my limbs for, but I suddenly found myself on my own a lot - without people to do my favourite activities with. I basically lost my support network.


Obviously, they still exist in WhatsApp and Facebook, but they're just not there on days when the world seems like a dark place. And honestly, that f*cking sucks. 


But I guess that's what adulting is? You move away from the people that you love. A lot of times, we think that career and education come first but in fact, I think that people and the experiences and moments with those people are the very thing that make our lives matter, that give us purpose, that make life worth living.

Recently, I've realized a couple of bittersweet facts about my living away from friends and family, partly because I'm about to move into a new apartment.


1. I tend to say yes to meeting my close friends when they fly over for a visit. If I was still either living in the UK or my hometown, I would have easily blown them off and gave some kind of lame ass excuse. 



2. Meeting my brother and my parents tend to be more special. Like I said, even though my brother and I live in the same city, we don't see each other often. But when we do, I tend to cherish those moments a lot more than before. 



3. I tend to appreciate pictures more than before. Selfies with uncles, pictures with loved ones - in fact, I'm totally going to put up pictures in my new apartment. 

Whilst there are days when I wish there was some kind of teleportation device so I could be reunited with my support network instantly, I know that the distance has made us appreciate each other on a level that I never thought existed.



Life is short. Make it count. Love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones that don't. Believe that everything happens for a reason.

How do you cope with living away from friends and family? Let me know in the comments :) 

My Life... 6 Months Ago

When you're a blogger or a writer, sometimes you'll have moments when an idea hits you hard on the head like a brick. Today was one of those days for me. I feel like I haven't been personal with you guys lately. So today, I take this opportunity to share with you what my life looked like in the past 6 months.


*I am writing this to share my experience and not to get sympathy or anything from what I had to go through for the past couple of months. I just feel like today is the day I get a little personal. After all, my blog is my baby and I've been wanting to get personal for quite some time now. So, if this is your thing, you can keep on reading. Otherwise, I'm sorry*

September 2016 - The worst month of my life (for as long as I can remember)

• I went for an audition and interview for a job and I wasn't sure if I would get it 
• I was waiting (4 months, to be exact) for my phD application to go through
• Ended a turbulent and rocky long distance relationship
• Was jobless, hopeless, going out for drinks almost every night (thank you Eunice for always being there for me. Sorry you had to see me cry and hyperventilate. Much appreciated. I love you)
• Was crying almost every night because I felt lost as fuck

October 2016 - The toughest month of my life (I've had a fair share of tough months and this was one of them)

• Still jobless and clueless on what my path looks like. Was just hoping everyday to get a reply so I can start my life in a new place
• Had an interview with my phD professors only to find out that they rejected my application and proposal which I prepared so hard for
• Still drinking almost every night to calm myself. As much as I didn't want to worry my parents, I couldn't help myself. Crying every night didn't help much
• Highly intoxicated and started my day at 1 pm everyday
• Started giving up on life and everything in it

November 2016 - What was supposed to be my favourite month turned out to be the most confusing month

• Spent a brief moment in the UK
• After flying alone for 18 hours, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to live anymore. I had lost all hope. I was in complete darkness
• After the "brief" moment in the UK, I came back to Malaysia and 12 hours later, I received a call saying I've got the job which I interviewed and auditioned for back in August
• Rekindled with what was supposed to be a failed love story
• Still felt lost and confused because everything seems like a blur 

December 2016 - When things started to make a bit more sense to me

• I started this new "job". Truth is, I didn't even care what the job was or how much it paid. I just wanted a new life - meaning a new place, a new city, a new job, with new people - starting completely from scratch
• My work "family" welcomed me and I started to see what it was like working in this industry
• Met some nice people and forever grateful for it
• Spent my first Christmas in this new city (with a warmer climate, finally)

January 2017 - A new start

• Adapting is never an easy task, especially when you're trying to start a new life
• Figuring out your future is never easy but sometimes, you just have to
• I still can't picture myself in this job but this is what I asked for. I wanted a change and I got it

February 2017 - A month of learning

• Learned to live on my own in this new city without anyone
• Attended a TV hosting course which I never in my entire life thought I'd ever have the chance to do. Learned the ways of TV hosting and other new things
• Met some nice people who would actually help me with publishing my "novel" and the "book" I'm writing
• Learned to be an independent woman (Destiny's Child ain't got nothing on me)
• Got to participate in various events which I never thought I'd be brave enough to attend

What exactly is the point of me sharing this post with you? 

I want you to know that hard times and tough times don't last forever. I lost all hope for almost 3 months and started to pick up the pieces afterwards. I was crying for almost 2 months and manage to smile after everything. Everyone has problems and tough moments of their own. Be strong and face it. Keep working hard, don't give up even though it feels like giving up is the only option you have at that moment.

I'm not here to tell you life is easy or life is hard. I'm here to tell you that you're a human being and you'll face ups and downs. Sometimes, your downs may take longer than others but nothing lasts forever. Take it from me - a girl who lost everything 6 months ago, to a girl who is starting over and getting a new life.

No matter what you're facing right now, you can do it. Take a look at your life 6 months ago and take a look at where you are now. If you're happy with your progress, I have nothing but happiness for you. If you're unhappy with where you are or your progress, do something about it. I'm with you all the way.

RADIO HOST AUDITION

Good afternoon everybody!

I hope you're all having the best weekend ever considering it's a bank holiday Monday tomorrow. Here's to long weekends :D

So, I took a very sudden trip to Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday to go for an audition the following day. And I actually just came back from KL yesterday. I am extremely tired because I've been going to KL for two weeks in a row now.

I received a call from TraxxFM (a radio station here in Malaysia) on Monday - asking me to go for an interview/audition on Thursday. Hence, this little impromptu trip.

When I arrived the radio station (which was massive), I had no idea it was an audition at the time because they said it would be an interview. And at the back of my head, an interview will be no longer than half an hour. I went in and saw the word "AUDITION" in block capital. I honestly had no idea what to expect.

So, I was placed in a room with 15-20 people. It was really tensed at first. No one wanted to speak to anyone. It was like a competition and I felt uncomfortable at first. But after an hour or so, we all started talking and bonding, which was really good.

The producers handed us 5 stories in which we have choose 3 of the stories and paraphrase it and talk about it under a minute. All of us had a task of writing and completing a script in 15 minutes. The script had to include an introduction, 3 of the stories, an entertainment news written by yourself, a closing to your show, followed by breaking news. So, 7 talk-sets altogether. It was confusing at first - trust me, I didn't even get what one of the producers were talking about when she was explaining this. But when it came to the time, I sort of knew what they wanted.

They then brought me into the studio where there were 5-6 people watching me from the other side of the glass room. It was nerve-wrecking at first because all eyes were on me and what I was going to say. After a few seconds, I got comfortable with the whole thing, so no biggie.

All in all, it was a completely different experience for me. A good kind of different. I loved it. And this can be something I talk about with my friends while we're sitting in a cafe or whatnot :)

I vlogged most of my trip because I think it would something really nice to look back on next time. You can watch it here if you want to:




Happy Sunday y'all! X


P/S: I want to thank my bro for being there for me the whole time :D 

FAVOURITE POOLSIDE PICTURES

Good evening everyone

I hope you're all having a lovely Sunday so far.

So, I came back from my little getaway just 2 days ago, hence, the absence. But I'm back now and I have some exciting things and stories to share with all of you. But for today's post, I'm going to share a few of my favourite poolside pictures from holiday :)

As most of you would know by now, I absolutely adore beaches. If there is a beach at the place that I'm travelling to, that would be the first on my "to-go" list! However, if there are no beaches whatsoever, pools are the next best thing :)

I just get so relaxed whenever I'm chilling by the pool or having a little dip. I mean, my ideal holiday would be chilling by the pool with a cocktail every now and again whist I'm reading a good book and getting a little tan in my bikini. 

And then, there's the part where I actually get in the pool and swim. I feel like I've rediscovered my love for swimming lately.

For the past couple of days whilst I was on holiday, I've just been chilling by the pool, which is why I've decided to share this post :) I loved every second of it especially because the view from the pool was exceptional!

*all photo credits belong to Eunice and myself*

This is when you know you've found a friend for life - when she is as fabulous as you :D I had such an amazing time! Not only because it was so chilled, but also because I got to meet up with my brother and another one of my closest friends. 

*back to more pictures* 

Happy Sunday everyone! X 

TOP 3 FAVOURITE FOOD

Good evening all you lovely foodies out there

I'm back with another food post (ha! no surprise there). I guess it's because I want to share what food I've been enjoying a lot for the past couple of weeks. I mean, good things (AND good food) should be shared with everyone :)

So, I know I just posted my "restaurant of the month" yesterday but I've been enjoying loads of other food too. I mean, just to pick ONE restaurant for last month was a already challenging task!

Because I've been stuffing my face in different sorts of food ever since I came back from the UK, I decided to write this post where I share 3 of my favourite food I've had so far and have been completely in love and obsessed with.


1. Char Siew Rice

Without a doubt, my ultimate favourite food so far! It's basically roasted pork covered in char siew sauce served with fragrant rice. The tricky bit would be how the chefs in hawker stalls or restaurants prepare and make the char siew sauce that goes on top of the pork. If the sauce is good, everything else is good. I've been to two places in Kuala Lumpur that serve amazing Char Siew Rice. I would eat that over and over again, no doubt!

2. Roti Canai 

In Malaysia, roti means "bread'. There are many kinds of roti. Roti Canai is the original stuff and it is served with curry and dahl. The massive one I had was Roti Tissue, which was to-die-for! I loved all the roti! I mean, I honestly can't pick a favourite type of roti. They're all just amazing!

3. Dim Sum 

I mean, you can't really go to a Southeast-Asian country and not get dim sum. The place I went to was called "Din Tai Fung". It's just nothing like the ones in Western countries. Although, I really do want to try the dim sums in China because I hear they're really good. But Malaysia has loads of great dim sum places to offer. It's a definite MUST!

Definitely give these 3 a try if you're visiting Malaysia! X 

5 BEACHWEAR IDEAS

I think all of you will know by now that I've been to a few beaches for the past couple of few weeks and I absolutely LOVED it! If I'm not mistaken, my obsession for beaches started when I was 18 or 19 years old. I don't know but it's just the whole idea of it. I know I say this a lot but when I'm at the beach, I just feel so peaceful and calm. To me, it's not all about the tanning or the sunbathing. I would normally sit by the beach and enjoy the breeze, close my eyes and enjoy the sound of waves, walk on the sandy beach while small waves splash over my calves and feet. It's just one of the best feelings in the world.

Good evening my lovely people

I guess with huge obsession for beaches comes a "tiny" obsession for beachwear :) 

Now, for me, it's not ALL about the bikinis. Like I said, I don't tan or sunbathe on beaches AT ALL. So obviously, the pictures in this post won't be about me in bikinis *ooops*. I mean, no one would want to see me in a bikini anyway (haha!). But who cares.....

As long as I feel great about myself.

And I think I mentioned in my "Summer Bucket List" post that I wanted to put on a bikini and feel great about it. That's one thing to cross off my list (tick). 

So today, I'm going to share a couple of beachwear ideas with you. You don't have to like what I've worn or picked but it's just an idea I had in my head to share these with you. Initially, I wanted to name this post "5 MUST-HAVEs FOR THE BEACH" but decided that you don't really NEED to have these things to go to the beach :) So, here goes......

1) STRAW-HATS 

Oh my goodness. I have a new found love for straw-hats. I mean, it's just the best thing for a walk on the beach. I think I've worn my straw-hat most times I was on the beach. It's just lovely. It covers your eyes and face from the sun, protects your hair, makes you look like you've put a little more effort (or it could just make you look like a tourist, haha). I don't know - it just looks so stylish. I got my straw-hat while I was in Bali and wore it to beaches ever since.

2) BIKINI

OBVIOUSLY! But I would normally throw something over it unless I'm actually going into the beach for a swim (which never happens) or if I swim in pools. Putting on a bikini just makes it feel a bit more - hmmm.. how shall I describe it without sounding like I've actually said a bad word - "beachy" (haha).

3) KIMONOS 

I really love kimonos. Honestly, it just goes with anything - except for jumpers, I guess. It goes with dresses, with vests, with t-shirts. It's just perfect. Even if I'm just chilling by the pool, chucking on a kimono made me look like I actually put effort in my little swimwear outfit instead of just walking out with a bikini or swimsuit. I think kimonos just add a little bit more to your outfit and make you look a bit classier, which is why I love them.

4) PLAY-SUITS

So, before I left the UK, I've been completely obsessed with play-suits and jumpsuits. However, when I first went to the beach in Bali IN A FRIGGIN' JUMPSUIT, my skin was literally boiling. It was not a good idea but I looked good so it's fine :) Play-suits, however, are just golden. I wore a play-suit in Bali for a sunset dinner by the beach. It was breezy, it looked good, and it made me feel pretty :)

5) SHORTS

I think this comes as no surprise to all of you out there who knows my style. Shorts are just my thing. In the UK, when it's super freezing, I just wear leggings underneath and put on some shorts. In Malaysia, shorts are pretty much all I wear. Even if I have a dress on, I will always have a pair of shorts underneath. But yes, back to the beach, I think shorts are an essential for beaches. It makes you look sexy anyway, so why not? I had shorts on most times on the beach. 

I hope you guys enjoyed this little post about my beachwear experience or beach essentials/ideas (sort of - whatever you want to call it. haha). Do let me know which look you would go for if you were to head out to the beach :) 

Love you guys X