September Highlights 2017

I know it's a bit late but September was by far the best month for me this year. 

Not only did I achieve all of my September goals, but I also got to enjoy the whole month to the absolute fullest. I've decided to highlight a couple of good memories I've had so that I can look back and relive the moments in the future when I'm feeling nostalgic. 

So, here are 10 of my September highlights:

1. I got to experience one of my closest and dearest friends in a beautiful wedding gown with the man she loves. 

2. I got to visit my little family over in the UK after almost a year.

3. I went for a weekend escape in a retreat with my loved ones.

4. I got to more spend time with my family and friends.

5. I managed to do numerous spontaneous things, one being - getting a tattoo, or two.

6. I got to have afternoon tea several times, which is one of my favourite things in the whole world.

7. I got to meet up with a couple of friends in the UK who were so inspirational.

8. I got to know people who are real to me and people who would be there for me no matter what.

9. I got to do the things I love so much, which are filming and editing videos (subscribe if you haven't already), meeting so many people online who listen to me on national radio, and entertaining so many people.

10. I got to witness so many beautiful things and buildings.

Honestly, September was such a beautiful month for me and I'm going to try my best to live as brightly as I did last month. 

April Goals

OK. April, let's do this.

Honestly, I'm actually writing my April Goals today because I didn't realize it was already April yesterday. 

But what I CAN say, is that March was a really fruitful month. I think part of the reason why it flew by was because I was working a lot and just being a lot busier than the previous months. March had been good to me. Now, let's just hope April will be too. 

Again, I am proud to say that I have achieved the first 4 things in my March Goals list. I only didn't manage to drink more tea. Instead, I was downing coffee :/ 

Anyway, the motto that I'm going to stick to this month is: 

"Yesterday was yesterday. Focus on today." 

Because we're already in the 4th month of 2017, things are getting pretty serious. So, I think it's best if we start focusing on today instead of yesterdays. 

This month, my personal goals are to:

1. Socialize more

2. Keep myself busy and occupied 

3. Have more faith and confidence in what I do and in my life

4. Travel more

5. Experience new things

I feel like April is going to be a tough month for me, so I need to keep track of my goals here :) April, here we go. 

The Truth About My Life Now

Whenever I post something close to my heart, people seem to enjoy it more. So I've decided to write this post today.

Lately, my life has been rather confusing and hectic. I'm at the age where I can't quite figure myself out yet but I'm kind of getting there. I'm at a place where I'm fighting for myself every.single.day. 

I try to act tough everyday because I know I'm strong, but deep down, I'm vulnerable too. The truth is, when you've been strong for too long, you need a break from it. And that's where I am right now. I fight and I fight and I tell myself I can do it. But at the end of the day, my brain, my body, my soul - me - every single part of me is so tired. 

Tired from pretending. Tired from hurting. Tired from thinking. Tired from running away. 

This week has been one of the busiest weeks I've had so far. I've actually forgotten what it feels like to lose track of time. When I realized that today is Friday, my brain just could not fathom it at all. And today was just one of those days where everything just went South. I'm not going to lie, this month, I've had loads of days like that. 

People always see the happy side of me, the smiley side of me, the laughing side of me. That's because I choose to show that side of me. 

The truth is, I need a shoulder to cry on. 

I don't have many friends. I mean, I know lots of people but I can only call a few of them my friends. And all my friends who hold part of my heart are not here with me, which makes it that much more frustrating. 

It suffocates me.

I can't count how many times I've had difficulty breathing just because I need someone to talk to. Someone I can trust. Not someone who'll feed on my sorrow and then use it against me later. 

One thing you should know about me is that I've been betrayed so many times it's not even funny anymore. I find it hard to trust people. I'm open-minded and I'm good at meeting new people, don't get me wrong, and I can talk about almost anything to anyone. From past experiences to dirty jokes. 

However, I find it difficult to talk to people about my problems and share my feelings. That's why I turn to 2 of my best friends whenever I'm having a serious mental breakdown. And the fact that 2 of them are not here with me is just one of the saddest things ever. 

Today, one of my best friends texted me with encouraging and supportive words at the correct time. Like I said, today was one of those days where I'm just not feeling it. I got her text and I suddenly realized that I am a lot stronger than I used to be. I don't need other people to validate me because the truth is, I AM ALREADY DOING MY VERY BEST. 

And as long as I can see that, other people can too. And if they choose not to see it, it's absolutely not my problem. 

So, today, I want to thank absolutely everyone - whether you're my friend or not - who supports me in what I do, who supports my life, who makes me laugh and smile everyday. Thank you so so much. 

I don't take any single one of you for granted. 

:) 

SUNDAY FUNDAY: PHOTOSHOOT + LIFE UPDATE

Photo shooting in my pjs ..... to be exact.

If I'm being completely honest with you, I've always felt a little weird whenever it comes to a photoshoot because I never know how to pose or what facial expressions to give.

But as of late, I've actually found joy in photoshoots. I mean, I actually enjoy it at times. And by this, I don't mean people/professionals taking pictures of me, but me taking pictures of things as well. I guess it's because I've been doing it more often in the past 2 years.

However, if you get to know me, you'll know that I don't really care how I look in pictures. My close friends will describe me as the girl who pulls the weirdest face or the girl who always smiles with her teeth showing when it comes to taking pictures. It's completely true :D I find that those "real" moments and "real" laughs are the ones that I love the most, no matter how horrendous I look.

Anyway, I did another shoot yesterday for an upcoming collaboration and I enjoyed it a lot especially because I was in my pjs and in my own bed.

Life has been hectic lately. I didn't even realize that March is almost gone until I was filling up a form at work today. I mean, I hate the fact that I cannot take a minute to fathom how quickly time flies. And honestly speaking, I am afraid. I'm afraid of closing my eyes and missing a moment. I'm afraid I'm not spending enough time with people I care about.


But other than that, my illness is finally gone and I'm soooo ready for another break.

Hope you guys are enjoying what's left of March because I know I will.

March Goals

1st day of March.




What can I actually say about February? Well, if you've read my previous post, you'll know that February was a horrendous month for me. And to top it all off, I have been ill for almost 2 weeks now.

However, I did achieve all my February Goals and I'm quite proud of myself for that. But it is time to say goodbye and welcome a new month.

So, today, I am of course here to share my March Goals with you.

A motto that I will stick to this month is:

"A life without dreaming is a life without meaning"

Let this be a reminder to all that it is totally OK to dream. Dream BIG! Because as far as I'm concerned, when I dream, that's when life happens :)

For the month of March, my goals are to:


1. Go out more

I'm not even going to lie to you, I'd take watching Netflix and sipping on hot chocolate any day to going out. In February, I went grocery shopping once and stayed home for the rest of the month. So you get the idea.


2. Meet at least 2 new people

And I don't mean random strangers who I will never see again. I want to actually meet new people and be friends with them. This is quite a tough one but I'm going to try.


3. Try new things

As many new things as possible, whether that is trying some kind of outfit I never thought I'd wear, or trying out a new routine. I am going to try to do different things in the next 31 days.


4. Write more

Just because I don't post a lot on here doesn't mean I'm not doing any other writings on the side. But I will, with all my strength and power, post more on here. After all, writing is where I find comfort.


5. Drink more tea

For the past 28 days, I have been substituting soft drinks and pop sodas to peppermint tea and Moroccan mint tea. And I want to stick to this habit because it helps me sleep better at night. I will make it my mission to try as many flavoured tea as possible for the upcoming days.





Keeping track of monthly goals is an easy task. If you haven't created one by now, trust me, it helps. For those of you who have, what are your March goals? :)

HITTING QUARTER LIFE CRISIS

"It is perfectly okay and normal to not have your shit together at 25." - Anonymous 

I feel like there are 2 types of people in this world: People who know what they're going to be doing for the rest of their lives once they hit 20, and people who haven't got a single clue about what they want in life when they hit 20.

Good afternoon all you lovely readers


Today's post is going to be about my current life situation. As for the above statement, I feel like I'm the latter one. I've always been the type of person who wants to try as many things as I can as possible. Even at my teenage years, I've always had crazy ideas and wild imaginations about everything around me. Up till today, right this very second, I still have crazy imaginations and interesting ideas. To have a creative mind is a good thing, but I guess the downside to that is that all these imaginations and thoughts will make you question everything in life.

I will be hitting 25 next month and for some reason, it doesn't scare me at all. The only thing that scares me is that I haven't got enough time to do half of the things I've wanted to do before I hit 30. That is probably one of the scariest things ever. But I'm here today to share a few of my thoughts with you and to let you know that you are not alone :)

1. Two Minds

I'm at a phase in life where I just want to go out and explore the world, try new things, have that occasional drink at a pub or a friend's party, and be a complete nutter around close friends. However, I absolutely do not mind staying at home everyday, sitting on the couch with a good book or doing absolutely nothing at all but drink tea and chill.

2. Friends Come and Go

There's a reason why this saying was invented. And after learning it the hard way for multiple times, I've finally come to terms with it. Some people stay, some people go. You will lose old friends and gain new ones. And that's just life. Deal with it. I'm at a certain stage in life where I keep my circle of friends really small. I'm glad to have these people in my life who support and encourage me in everything I do. A few good friends is better than thousands of fake friends. Keep that in mind.

3. People Change..... You Change

Over the years, I've noticed something about myself. Physically, I've changed. But mentally too. All the dreams that I had when I was younger - dreams of becoming a princess (go on, laugh all you want) and all those other crazy, funny dreams and imaginations - they've all changed. But now is also the time to make your dreams happen. And that is what I'm going to start doing. Change. Be a better version of myself. Go after my dreams. Because even though dreams and interests change, that does not mean you can't pursue them.



Let me know if you can relate to this? X

MAKE A CHANGE

"And that is how change happens, one gesture, one person, one moment at a time." - Libba Bray

Routines can be a wonderful thing. Consistency brings comfort, and with comfort comes ease. But it doesn't just stop there. We can become incredibly efficient at completing the task at hand, i.e. cooking a meal, planning a party, putting on make-up, etc. 

But there's ONE tiny thing about routines that I'm not so fond of.

They can easily let our minds drift elsewhere, causing us to daydream most of the times. I've definitely been there. 

Same dance choreographs will make you bored after a while, you get sleepy when it comes to the same yoga classes and poses everyday, you get sick of writing the same assignments every night, etc. And it's just small things like that that make our minds wander. 

Familiarity basically makes us feel that we don't have to think about what we're doing because we're constantly doing the same thing over and over again. I'm going to be honest with you. Sometimes, I have no recollection of my journey on how I've gotten from point A to point B. None whatsoever. Because routines are instilled in our brains. 

Dear readers

Today, take it upon yourself to make a simple change in your day. It doesn't have to be a huge, massive change - it just has to be different. The change itself might not affect your life immensely, but that one small change opens up your heart and mind, along with millions of other possibilities. 

• Part your hair differently for a change
• Go to a new cafe instead of your normal go-to places to eat
• Use your left hand (I'm right-handed) to brush your teeth instead (vice versa)
• Try that new recipe (or try cooking, for that matter)
• Look at the mirror and ask yourself what do you see
• Smile

Just small and simple things like these are a few examples I've been doing recently. It messes with your brain but in a good way because your brain will not have time to drift away and wander off elsewhere. 

Constant change is probably one of the scariest things to most people (myself included) but it is also one the most beautiful things about this life if you can view it the right way. 

Embrace it ...... Fall in love with it X 

SUMMER BUCKET LIST (CHECKED) : LIFE SERIES #2

Even though I am currently living in a hot-climate country, which means I get to have summer all-year-round, I do know that summer is officially over back in the UK and also in the US. I am actually quite sad because Autumn is my favourite season and I'm sure it's a lot of people's favourite season as well :) Just because I get to see the leaves turn from green to orange to brown, I get to experience the change of weather, I get to dress up in fashionable autumn clothing. Just everything really.


Good evening from my side all you lovely people.


Since my "Summer Bucket List" post was such a huge hit, I wanted this 2nd episode of my life series to be about summer and myself. So, I've decided to go through all the things I've listed back in May and check if I've completed my list :D

So, here goes.


1. Wear more dresses [√]

Most of my friends and family know that I'm the type of girl that goes out in a pair of jeans or shorts and a t-shit or a vest. But I actually did wear loads of different dresses over the summer. (Check out the post about my summer dresses in a week post here). I am genuinely proud of myself for doing this.

2. Go for picnics [√]

I feel like I've had quite a few picnics over the summer and I absolutely loved them!

3. Beach [√]

Yes, I don't think I need to list down how many beaches I've been to over the summer. But you can check out my Bali post here and here and also my Krabi post here. I miss being by the beach :(

4. Wear a bikini & feel good about it [√]

Something I never thought I'd be able to do without feeling a teeny bit embarrassed but I rocked it (I think. haha!). I even did a collaboration blog post with ADORE ME about beachwear here.

5. Yoga [√]

6. Eat more fruits [X] 

Although I did do this before I left the UK, I haven't been having fruits as much as I'd like to over here.

7. Hang out more with friends instead of working all day [√]

8. Have deep and meaningful conversations more often [√]

I find that this is very healthy for the brain.

9. Go to the cinema at least 10 times [X]

Unfortunately, I am just too busy to go to the cinemas. Even when I'm back home right now, I can hardly find time to go to the cinema but I have been 3 times here and 4 or 5 times back in the UK over the summer. It's still not 10 times :(

10. Cut down on takeaways [X]

Something really hard to do, unfortunately. It's like asking me not to swear :X

11. Be grateful & proud to have everyone [√]

12. Vlog more [√]

I have actually vlogged over the summer about my trips and what I've been up to. I will upload more videos soon though. You can check out my channel and subscribe here if you want :)

13. Try something new at least twice a month [√]

14. Read a good book. Or two [√]

I've been reading a lot of books over the summer and I think reading might be a new found hobby of mine. I'll be writing a post about my top 3 favourite books soon, so stay tuned for that :)

15. Kiss more [X] 

Well, I can't just randomly run around the streets kissing people, can I? Although, that actually sounds like a challenge I'm willing to accept (haha!)

16. Travel more [√]

17. Love more [√]

18. Spend more time interacting instead of zoning out and daydreaming [√]

Something good I've managed to change about myself over the summer :)

19. Spread more joy and happiness [√]

Well, I make my friends laugh. So, I should hope so.

20. Be more helpful [√]

21. Make at least 2 people smile in a day [√]

22. Write more [√]

23. Meditate in a natural environment [X]

There is absolutely no way to do that here. The sun is scorching hot and the temperature is 35 degree Celcius every single day.

24. Take things easy [X]

Something I'm trying really hard to do but I still can't fully relax when my brain is turned on.

25. Be care-free [√]

It is kind of contradicting but I ticked this box because I learnt to not care what people think of me over the summer. That's what I mean by care-free here (haha!).


I guess I did alright. 19 out of 25. That's pretty good, I reckon.



I hope all of you had a great summer but it's time to welcome Autumn now. Whoop whoop! X

20,000 PAGEVIEWS!!!

"Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you can only spend it once." - Lillian Dickson

Happy Friday everyone!

In my opinion, every Friday should be a day of celebration. Actually, I do have a few friends who would always throw a party every Friday night. I have tried doing that before but after a month, I got so exhausted throwing parties every Friday and decided to just attend parties instead (haha!). But yes, the weekend is finally upon us and no matter how many million times I say this, I still get so excited for the weekends! 

Anyway, speaking of celebrations.

I guess I do have one thing to celebrate today. Well, here's a fun fact. Because I have been a little bit busy with my life lately and slacking on my blog, I just found out that my blog hit 20,000 pageviews at the end of August, which is totally amazing!

I don't normally have aims of how many pageviews I can/want to get (as you can tell because I'm just writing this post now haha). I just write what I want on here and share whatever I want (as you can tell from the structure of my blog and my writing form). I've always treated my blog as a little online diary of mine. But yes, it's totally amazing that you (all you lovely readers) would stick with me and read my posts. 

I'm honestly very happy and grateful for this. I think I hit 10,000 pageviews at end of April not long ago. 

I love every single one of you who reads my blog and leaving comments and sharing. Honestly, it means the absolute world to me to know that I'm not the only one having bad days or going through tough times. BIG HUGS! 

Since all of you have been so amazing, I've decided to share 5 current things about myself that you DO NOT know about. Trust me, it isn't as interesting as you might think but just thought I'd share them anyway.

1) I downloaded Pokemon Go on the 19th of September and have been obsessed ever since. I am currently at Level 15, if that interests you at all. Haha!

2) I do not have a SnapChat account. I know I know! I'm probably the last person on this planet who do not own one!

3) I love my 2 dogs so very much even though they give me headaches sometimes. I just love them to bits!

4) My circle of friends can be considered "small". I wouldn't say tiny or huge but I think small is the right term. I read a quote last year: "the less people you hang out with, the less bullsh*t you deal with" and I've been applying that to my everyday life ever since. And believe me, it's true and it works. 

5) I am in a long-distance relationship right now which pretty much sucks. I mean, no one on this planet likes to be in a long-distance relationship and no one deserves to be in one. But my boyfriend and I are OK. 

*Oh yes. It gets more and more personal once a milestone is achieved. Haha! Not that my personal life is that interesting but I just like my readers to know more about me :)* 

TGIF! Have a great Friday! X 

1.5 DAYS

What would you do if you only had a day and a half with the people you love?

What would you talk about? 

What would all of you do together? 

Good evening all you lovely people out there.

I just got back from a 2-day-trip not long ago. And I was feeling under the weather last week and I know that's not an excuse to go on a hiatus but just thought you should know why I disappeared for a week. Loads of crazy things happened last week and my brain could not fathom and take everything in and that was also one of the reasons I disappeared (more on that much later on though). I do apologize for the hiatus but I'm back now and I've got some cool and exciting posts coming up :)


So, back to my questions. 


What would you do if you only had 1.5 days with the people you love? Or 1.5 hours for that matter?

In my opinion, time is and always will be a limiting factor. There's never enough time when it comes to the people you love. 

My trip this time was to meet up with 2 of my uncles and also my brother. I haven't met my uncles for over 3 years now. They live in Sydney and I was in the UK for 3 years so it was almost impossible for a meet up. But we were all fortunate enough to meet up back here in Malaysia.


Why only 1.5 days? 


Because that was all the time we were given. Not by me, not by them. Not by anyone. Not by any choice. 

Here is what I did on the 1.5 days I had with them.

First of all, I didn't go all out and to the extreme to make it "the trip of my life". I didn't spend my time making unending lists of things to do with them. I didn't make any crazy plans.

Instead, I spent those days chilling with them. We spent time enjoying each other's company. And because we haven't seen each other in such a long time, I, for one, honestly didn't know where to begin or what topic to dive into first because there's just so much to talk about. But eventually, it's just enjoying our time together and talking about whatever that comes to mind.


Random subjects, life in general, catching up, little gossip sessions every now and again, crazy jokes. Everything. 

One of the things I've come to realize about myself as I grow older is that I appreciate and enjoy every moment spent with my loved ones more, whether it's talking absolute nonsense or saying nothing at all, and cherish all the memories I can ever get, whether it's through camera or through myself.

Everything that needs to be said and done will not necessarily be said and done at the end of the day. But it's just the company and comfort you get when you're spending time together that matters. And that, honestly, is more than enough for me.

What would you do? :)

Hello August!

Can you guys actually believe that it's August already? Normally, when I'm on vacation or on a break, I tend to forget the dates and days I'm in (and I bet I'm not the only one. Haha!). So when I actually checked my calendar this morning, I was reminded that today is the 4th of August! I literally still remember people celebrating the 4th of July like it was yesterday.

Good evening all you lovely people out there :)

I know I'm always the slowest blogger to welcome you lovely readers into the month but I guess it's just because the thought of how time flies by THIS quickly is scaring the sh*t out of me. I honestly wish that there were more days in July, which is probably the scariest thing for me to say. I guess everyone feels the same way about a month they enjoy. Like December and Christmas and presents and everything else, I wish that there were 40 days in December instead of just 31 days. Anyway....


WELCOME TO THE MONTH OF AUGUST!

I really hope all of you are having a great start to the month. I know I am. I've been checking in with myself these 2 days. I think the last time I actually checked in with myself was back when I was daily blogging in May or June (?), which was 3 months ago!



*PAUSE* That's a long time!



I feel like when you check in with yourself occasionally and ask yourself how you're doing and how you're feeling, you get to know yourself a little bit more.

I also think it's healthier for your inner self to meditate at least once or twice a week.

Think about what makes you smile and find out what makes you happy. You don't have to figure everything out now. You just need to know what makes you happy at the end of the day.

HAPPINESS STARTS FROM YOU



Lately, I've been catching up with some friends (which is one of the things I like to do, especially when it's a friend you've known for 18 years). My lovely camera has been keeping me company as well.

Eunice and I came to this lovely park this evening. It's just amazing. I mean, I'm already into nature and all that jazz but it's even nicer when your best friend goes along. We did some photoshooting and had talked under the scorching hot sun (which is probably the craziest thing I've done so far!).

I just enjoy little strolls in the park so much. There's just something beautiful about it.

Don't you think? X