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 :) 

3 Inspiring Stories that I Carry With Me

Needless to say, my trip to the UK back in September was a fruitful one. I got to meet up with so many people that I love and did some catching up which was amazing.


But I'm not here to talk about my trip. I'm here to talk about what I've learned from my friends. 3 in particular. I carry these 3 stories with me everyday because they are a reminder of what I should be and whom I should be. I don't think I will ever forget these 3 stories but if I do, I want to be able to look back at this post and be re-inspired.


For the purpose of this post, all names will remain anonymous. 

Story 1: 

So, I was having coffee with one of my lecturers from uni. To be completely honest with you, I'd never thought I'd actually meet up with any lecturers or if any lecturers would still remember me. But I absolutely cannot believe he would give up his time to come meet with me - which I will forever be grateful for.

He taught me something that I will truly carry for the rest of my life.

"In life, I think we are all designed to have the things that we desire. It's just a matter of time and how you actually get it. So, if that's the case, why not you write your own story before things actually happen? You write your own path. Why wait and see what happens? You write it and you follow it." 



Story 2: 

This girl used to work with me in the same restaurant as a waitress. Very very young but very talented. And it took me by surprise when she wanted to meet up with me. Like, I never thought she would look me up. But she did, and for that, I truly, honestly love her.

She was talking about how she wants to further her career in London.

"There are bad people and bad things happening everywhere. But do you think that's going to stop me from doing what I love? I love London so much despite everything that has happened. But don't expect me to not go there just because of the attacks."

Story 3: 

So, I used to work with this girl in a company before things went South for her. I watched her struggle through everything. I kid you not. I watched her get fired, I watched her get scolded by our managers, I watched her cry. You name it. But when I visited this time, she was doing so much better. And she so eagerly wanted to see me and she bought me dinner - which, I will forever cherish.

She was talking about what had happened the past year.

"I realized that if you really really want something and you work hard for it, it will come true. Through all the struggles and hardships, I never gave up. I kept on going and going and going until I felt like dying. And I'm finally here." 



What these people said to me, their stories - are so inspirational that I think about it every morning I wake up and every night before I go to sleep. These stories are my motivation, my inspiration, my pick-me-up.

They have helped me with so much since I've been back so I really hope it can help you too.

34 MONTHS IN THE UK

Good morning my beautiful people

Today is the day! Today is the day I'm stepping on to a plane and flying over 17 hours back to my home country. Today is the day I say goodbye to Sunderland. Today is the day I say goodbye to the UK. It has been a 34-month roller coaster for me since September 2013 until today, June 2016.

I have decided to write one more post before signing off from the UK.

Today, I want to share 10 THINGS I'VE LEARNED WHILST BEING HERE FOR 34 MONTHS.


1) INDEPENDENT 

I used to think I was independent at the age of 18 - always doing things myself and all. Only to realize that was nothing compared to when you're in a different country without your family around you. It is a fresh yet terrifying feeling. Not going to lie, I've only had my first debit card when I was 21 years old. Oh yes, absolutely ridiculous!

But when you're in another country, no matter how attached you are to your parents, be it financially or non-financially, you learn to be more independent. You handle bills yourself, you cook for yourself, you fight your own battles. In my case, I learned to speak confidently in front of people and I got myself a job which increased my chances of speaking more to people. Bills are always the toughest things, in my opinion. Even until this day, I absolutely HATE handling bills (some kind of accountant I am). It's not that I can't count or do them, it's just that I hate them. But at the end of the day, you know you can only rely on yourself to learn new things.

2) MOVING IS TIRING

I finally know now when people say "I'm so tired. I haven't slept for 4 days since I moved house". Oh yes, I should know. In the 34 months, I've moved house 3 times. THREE TIMES! I used to think it's just one place to another. You move your things from here to there and get sorted within hours. Oh how very wrong was I!

It is a tiring and tedious situation. It takes out all your energy and effort. And to make it feel nice and cozy like a home takes up A LOT of your time. But it's totally worth it in the end.

3) LEARN TO HAVE FUN

I guess this comes as no surprise to most of you. It's the time when you're finally away from your parents and you can do whatever you want. Of course, you have to be wise enough to differentiate the good and the bad.

But the point I'm trying to make here is that you only get one life. If you don't make it fun and enjoyable, then that's completely your loss. I felt like I wasted my first 9 months here because all I did was work and study. Looking back now, I feel like I could have done so much more in those 9 months! So even though you're here to study, learn to relax and have some fun too.

4) MORE OPEN-MINDED

I'm already quite an open-minded person. But there's so much more for me to learn out there. I'm constantly learning new things. EVERY SINGLE DAY. From recipes to directions, from work to other countries. Just be as open-minded as you can and enjoy as you learn. Because you will never ever stop learning.

5) EXERCISING MAKES ME A HAPPY PERSON

The first few months living here was a nightmare. I could not sweat, I could not function properly because all I could think about was exercise. So, I decided to walk 30-45 minutes everyday. Then, I joined the Dance Squad of course. It was such an amazing journey. All the people I've danced with are just amazing. In fact, one of the proudest things I've ever done not just here, but in my entire life, was dancing in front of a crowd and competing in dance competitions.

But yes, exercising will always make me feel happy and relaxed - whether that's carrying heavy things or just walking from home to uni.

6) APPRECIATE YOUR PARENTS MORE

Why do I say this? Because now, whenever I spend my own money that I worked so hard for, my heart aches a little. Sometimes, a lot when I go on a massive shopping spree but let's not get into that. When I first arrived here, I had no intention of getting a job because of the spoiled little brat I am. I spent my parents' money like nobody's business. And one day, when I was about to go broke, I told myself "enough is enough. no more doing stupid shit".

And when you actually get a job and work, you learn the hardships yourself. Therefore, I have been financially stable since 2014. Not sure about the next couple of weeks though since I am now jobless yet again. Haha!

7) APPRECIATE THE LITTLEST THINGS IN LIFE

I would never in a million years thought I would be one to say this because I'm just so caught up with everything. But appreciating the littlest things in life CAN actually make you happy. I learned that here one day when I was taking a nice walk in the park on a cold winter's morning. There's beauty everywhere. The birds chirping, the wind blowing, the squirrels that pop out of no where. These things are small yet beautiful. Learn to appreciate just the tiniest thing that makes you happy :D

8) GOOD FRIENDS ARE HARD TO FIND

It is not often that people want to waste their time to understand your situation or ever try to understand you. Hence, the saying "friends come and go". I've known this since I was growing up. But I really can't compare my teenage situation to my adulthood situation. You learn about lies, betrayal and all those things that make you unhappy and changes you.

But there are good people around that are in the same boat or want to be friends with you. Once you've found the people you can connect with, never ever let them go. Invest your time in good people and good friends and good surroundings.

9) STRUGGLING IS NORMAL

Oh it is so normal to struggle. Just remember, nobody has a perfect life. It's how you cope with your problems and what you decide to do about the situation are what matters. Sometimes, I look around me and see myself struggling more than the people around me. What do I do? Cry?

NO!

Get back up, keep working hard and don't give up.

10) APPRECIATE THE "FAMILY" YOU HAVE HERE

I mean, I've just written a whole post about them last night. It's always important to socialize but once you feel comfortable with the people around you, you know you've found the right people.

I have "brothers" and "sisters" who support the heck out of me. It's nice to know if things ever go wrong, you can always count on them.



These are all the things I've learned in the past 34 months. It has been a long journey, hasn't it? I've really enjoyed my time here but it's time for a little break :)


I will check in with you guys once I have access to Wi-Fi :D


I hope everyone is having a nice week so far and I love you all very much.


Thank you so much for reading.


X

Being a 24-year-old

"You get old and you realize there are no answers, just stories." - Garrison Keillor 

Today is officially 6 months since I turned 24. So I've actually decided to dedicate a post to being 24 years old. It's not a special age or anything but I just thought it would be interesting to share a few thoughts with you guys :)

I was taking a walk in the park the other day - just to clear my head and have a quick break from everything (as usual). As I was sitting on the grass and enjoying the sunlight, I closed my eyes.


I wanted time to stop. Just for a minute or two. Or an hour. Or a year. 


Closing your eyes and thinking about life can be a very dangerous thing to do. Because you can either be stronger and change yourself or you can dwell in your past and be miserable.


So there I was, thinking about every aspects of my life - all the memories, what I've been through....... Just everything.

And if I've learnt one thing from life experience, it is that age is no barrier. It's a limitation you put on your mind. Here are a few points I'd like to share with you today (sorry if I sound a bit like a teacher. "Here are some points"! LOL).


Note: When I say "you", I'm actually referring to myself. You get the idea. 


1) Growth

You figure yourself out more and more each year. You start getting in touch with yourself more often. You start knowing what you want in life. You start to realize how different your thinking is from when you were a teenager. I think this is just the process of growing up.


2) Independence

You start making decisions, life decisions - if I may say so, and deciding what's good and what's bad for yourself. You start learning about people, things, basically your surroundings. You make choices for yourself and along the way, you make mistakes and try to fix them yourself.


3) Goals

You start thinking about what you want to do with your life, now and in the future, and what goals you want to achieve. For me personally, I want to achieve something big and do extraordinary things. And I'm sure all of you do too!


4) Q&As

I'm going to be straight up honest with everyone now. This year is the year I questioned myself and what I'm doing the most. You get a little confused. You've graduated. You don't really know what to do next - whether to start working or explore the world (or whatever! That was just an example). And let me tell you, you will not have all the answers. In fact, I have NO answers from all my own questions right now. But I'm trying my best and learning new things everyday. That's what matters the most! Trying your best at everything.


5) Responsibilities

Since I'm slowly stepping into "adulthood", I am starting to take responsibilities for every action I make. Good or bad. Big or small. I'm responsible for my own happiness and my choices in life. I'm slowly learning to be the CEO of my life (trainee at the moment). But everything I do right now, I take full responsibility. Not my parents, not my friends, but ME.



Being in control of your life is kind of fun but kind of scary too. I guess that's the beauty of it.


Those are just my perceptions and ideas of being 24. Might not apply to everyone but just thought I'd share it :)





Thank you for reading X

Restaurant of the Month: Casa Italia

Like I said at the end of last month, I will feature ONE restaurant in my blog that I really enjoyed throughout the month. 

I find it quite difficult to pick a favourite restaurant because everyone knows how much I adore food. And it's not like I go to 100 new restaurants every month. I mean, I would be so broke right now. But yes, I do like spending money on good food. And no, I don't feel sorry about that. A foodie will never be sorry for spending too much money on food. :D

I was very ill in the month of February so I didn't really get to go many places. I think I only tried out 10 restaurants in total. So it is easier for me to pick this time. So, the restaurant of my choice for February is.........

..........Casa Italia

A very common Italian restaurant name. I mean, its' direct translation is Italian House, which I think is really really classy. I've been here once back in 2014 but I didn't get to order much because most of my friends were sharing food and I didn't get to try out many dishes. 

So, I decided to come back here a couple of weeks ago with my eating buddies, whom I love very much! *Seriously, I love people who can eat with me and people who are not disgusted by the amount of food I eat. If you are one of those people, please be my friend now HAHA*

The food was so so good. They even have special offers: Monday-Friday 5pm-7pm; 3-course-meal for £9.99!!!! I was stuffed after that! Cheap and filling = My kind of restaurant! :) Anyway, let the pictures do the talking now....

 For starters:

Mushrooms in creamy, white wine sauce with a touch of garlic, on toasted bread

Potato Skins (a must)

For Mains:

Penne with wild mushroom, onion, chicken, garlic, white wine, cream and tomato sauce

Tagliatelle with cream, bacon, black pepper, egg and parmesan

Pollo House Special with crispy bacon, fresh leeks and garlic

For dessert, all three of us had:

Chocolate Cheese Cake

It was just too good! There were other wonderful desserts on the menu but once a chocolate lover, always a chocolate lover :)

Oh, and to top it all off, the restaurant had 2-for-1 cocktails!!!! :P YUMS

:)

P/S: I'm really bad at naming Italian food so I sort of just describe the food that I had that night. Haha. I'm improving though :) Magnifico! I really recommend this restaurant! Lovely!

Truth About Pub Food

I think we all know how much I love FOOD. Honestly, it would be a dream come true if someone were to pay me to talk about food all day. That would honestly be the perfect job for me.

Because I can never have enough of food, I'm actually going to write a little something about pub food today :D

Before I came to the UK, I initially thought pubs were just places to drink and get drunk. But I have to admit, pubs actually have some of the greatest food served. 

Pubs are everywhere. Even in a small place like Sunderland, every corner I turn to, there's a pub. There's even a pub right in front of my house for crying out loud. So, you can basically imagine how many pubs they have in London (I'm guessing thousands!).




Here are a few things you should know about pub food:


1) THE MENU

The food selection is just endless. Whenever I go to a pub, I get something different to eat all the time. Unless of course I'm really craving for something I've already had before. But yes, there's definitely something suitable for everyone in pubs whether you're a vegan or vegetarian.

2) THE PORTION

For me, any restaurants that have generous portions, I'm definitely going back the next time. If it's tiny little portions for posh people, I would go for the experience but definitely won't go back unless I get invited in (which is a situation I don't ever see happening). Honestly though, the portion of pub food is just amazing. The food in pubs fill me up real good and this is actually coming from me (a bottomless pit).

3) CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP

I know I know. Eating and cooking at home saves you a heck load of money but for those of you who are running dry on cash but can't stand not eating out once a week (like me), pubs are great places to be. And like I said, the portion is definitely worth the money. There are also meal deals available in most pubs. It's sort of like 2-for-1 meals where you can get 2 dishes for the price of one. However, these selections are limited.

The 2-for-1 desserts selection that me and Rachel normally go for. It's just so amazing and you don't have to worry about finishing it (by this, I mean some restaurants have bite-size desserts which are amazing but you're not satisfied because it's only 2 mouthfuls and you have to savour it) because by the time you're halfway, you'll be thinking "I'm so stuffed!" 

4) SPECIAL DISH

There's always something different in each pub. I've been to many pubs but only the one in front of my house serves cookie pizza (yum) and Giant Hot Dog. However, some of these are probably on promotion and it will probably not be served for a long period of time.

Giant Hot Dog

Cookie Pizza

5) CHILLAXING PLACE

OK. Probably nothing to do with the food but just want to throw it out there that pubs are a good place to chill and hangout. I normally go in the afternoon or evening because it tends to get a little busy at night especially when there are football matches or rugby matches going on. But if you're off work or uni and just want to catch up with mates and chillax, pubs are great. Plus you get to have food!

6) ALL-DAY BREAKFAST

I promise you this: You will never ever be disappointed with the Full English Breakfast in pubs. Unless you're a chef, pubs honestly do the best fry-ups in my opinion. It just keeps you going throughout the day. And if you do go during actual (9AM-11AM) breakfast time (my breakfast time is 11AM-1PM sadly), you get the whole giant portion for ONLY £4 which is so much cheaper than anywhere else!

Sunderland's Pub

London's Pub

Both amazing!

These are the reasons why I love pub food so much but of course, do not have it every single day. It's nice to go once in a while and relax with friends or family. It's just my (an outsider in the UK) point of view :)

Top 10 Favourite Food in 2015

I was scrolling through my phone last night, looking through my photo albums and when I got to the "FOOD" album, I just realized I haven't blogged about my top food picks in 2015!

Well, it's only 14 days after New Year so I guess I'm still allowed to post this :)

To be honest, I wanted to make it "My Top 5 Favourite Food" but I found that pretty much impossible because I've been to so many food joints and restaurants last year. So I decided to make it "My Top 10 Favourite Food in 2015" instead. Now, I'm not even sure if 10 is enough but I'm just going to limit myself to 10. Haha!

Right, so I'm doing this in no particular order and I'm also excluding restaurants in Sunderland because I didn't think it would be fair as I'm currently living here and also I'm going to do a whole post on that soon anyway.

So, let's begin! :D


1) Lobster & More
Location: London
Food: Lobster

I absolutely love the lobster here although many might think Burger and Lobster's lobster is way more amazing. I stumbled upon this place back in June when I was in London for a university trip. My friends and I were actually in Nando's when we saw Lobster & More across the road and I told myself that I had to try it the next day! In all honestly, I feel that the portion served here is bigger than that of Burger and Lobster and it is also slightly cheaper! I went back a couple of times whenever I was visiting London. Delicious, considered cheap in Central London and totally worth it!

2) Burger and Lobster
Location: London
Food: Lobster Roll

Like I said, Burger and Lobster is also amazing! And whenever I'm there, I would order the Lobster Roll instead of the Lobster because the lobster roll is just bursting with flavours. Plus, you don't have to get your hands dirty because the juicy lobster meat is already peeled for you. Easy menu selection, good service and wonderful!

3) Longhorns
Location: Newcastle
Food: BBQ Meat

I think we all know how much I love barbequed meat. And when I heard there was a place like this opening in Newcastle, I told my boyfriend that this was a MUST! If I'm not mistaken, there will be one in Sunderland soon. The BBQ Meat Platter was heavenly. Pulled pork melted in your mouth, honestly sending chills down my spine. Yes, it was THAT good! Cheap, modern and mouth-watering!

4) Vapiano
Location: London
Food: Pasta

I've never quite classified myself as a pasta person even though I'm a huge foodie, but damn! The pasta here was crazy good! Basically, you can order whatever kind of pasta you want and watch the chef prepare and cook it for you. There is also a pizza selection which is amazing. But in my opinion, the pasta definitely tops the pizza! There is also one Vapiano in Manchester because I really wanted to go there after my photoshoot (previous post) for dinner but it was closed. Interesting concept, affordable and perfect!

5) Treats
Location: Durham
Food: Tea, Cakes and Desserts

Come on guys. Desserts are probably the reason why I need to exercise so damn hard for! I can literally have tea and cake for breakfast. And this list would not be complete without a few dessert places. Treats is a very small shop in Durham with a wide selection of heavenly cakes! I've had so many of their cakes but the ones that I love most is still the Oreo Cake and the Red Velvet Cake. It's just perfect! Other desserts are very very mouthwatering too. Cosy, delicious and heavenly!

6) Taquito's
Location: London
Food: Burrito

Mexican food is probably one of my favs! You all know how much I love spice and spicy food. Mexican burrito has that exact spice I look for in a dish. Taquito's is probably the cheapest place I've been to for food in London yet it is soooo amazing! I've been coming back here ever since I first visited London back in 2014. That just shows how good it is! Cheap, authentic and magnifico! 

7) Chili Padi
Location: Newcastle
Food: Oriental (Malaysian - to be precise)

I've been in UK for almost 3 years and I can never find the perfect Malaysian restaurant until I came across this place. It's just full of flavours and it tastes exactly like home! It is a bit pricey if you convert it but totally worth it. I even took my boyfriend here and now he is dying to go to Malaysia with me :) Home, lovely and filling!

8) Man VS Food Grillhouse
Location: South Shields
Food: Smoked BBQ Meat Platter

And again, coming to the meat side of things. My boyfriend's friends decided to attempt the Man VS Food challenge which is to finish a whole freaking tray of meat along with some other sides of your choice. You know, I've been watching Man VS Food ever since I was a teenager and whenever Adam Richman said "Man Lost", I would always say "OMG! Even I could do that!" Well, I think I actually know how he feels now. The smoked BBQ Meat Platter was absolutely jaw-dropping (in a good way). I was done probably less than halfway and gave up entirely. However, they did also have a selection of desserts. So, I got the peanut butter cheesecake even though I felt like I was going to pass out from consuming too much meat :P Let me tell you, this place is amazing! Affordable, heavenly and awesome!

9) Boojum
Location: Dublin
Food: Burrito

Back in November, my boyfriend took me to Dublin for my birthday and I decided to make it a food holiday. Haha! To be honest, most food in Dublin are found here in the UK but the one place that really stood out, for me personally, was the burrito in Boojum. Oh my goodness, how do I even describe this. Just imagine something so good that you automatically close your eyes to enjoy it. And after you realized you've only got one bite left, you don't want it to end because it is THAT nice! The queue started to get crazy after we sat down at 11a.m., which proves just how popular that place is. Tasty, amazing and so so good!

10) Creams
Location: Newcastle
Food: Desserts

Once again, this list wouldn't be complete without another desserts venue. I actually did not do any research on this place. My boyfriend and I were walking down the street and saw this place so we decided to give it a go. Gosh, where do I even begin. The pancakes and waffles would just make you go "mmmmmmmmm" without even noticing you just made a very inapproriate noise. With a milkshake on the side, you should probably pull yourself back down to earth to check if everyone is staring at you from making all the weird sounds. Yes oh yes, that inappropriate person was me and I think I heard a couple of other people doing it. If you're a sweettooth like me, you will definitely LOVE this place! Affordable, glorious and heaven in your mouth! 

I realize I'm not the best at describing food but here you are, my top 10 picks for 2015. RIP to all the money I spent on food :/ Totally worth it though :D




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