Pursuit of Happiness.

Its been a pretty odd week for me. Odd, and full of thoughts.

I blame all this thinking partially on being unemployed and 'on holiday' until I get started on my degree. But then again, after a while I realize that these thoughts, and these feelings were familiar. They just managed to stay in the back of my head for the time when I was more... well, occupied.

I won't go into details, but it basically concerns the pursuit of happiness.

Alhamdulillah I know that I am blessed with a great life, with great people and some may think it ridiculous that I wish for this when I have more than enough, but I just do.

I wish for none other than to be... happy. Not the temporary one that comes and go, but the feeling of utmost... relief and just pure unadulterated happiness that would run through my veins as soon as I wake up, and lasts until I rest my head back on the pillow.

And coincidentally, a few number of people I know share this same desire. And it feels great to be able to talk to someone who understands what it is that you really want. What it is that you wish to just... FEEL. Because more than often I would get comments like;

"You already have everything."

"How are you still not happy?"

And these remarks makes it seem like I'm not grateful with what I have, when I am. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting more. It sounds like a selfish and greedy request, but trust me when I say that it isn't. For reasons that I don't feel obligated to mention here.

Truth is; everyone's after something. And more often (if not always) than not; What they're after is something that brings much joy to them. Be it money, love, or an opportunity to work with the great minds of the 21st century. As humans, we would always want more.

I want to be happy. 

InsyaAllah.

*Picture is of something I painted using acrylic on canvas.

21st Birthday Dinner.

Eja had been planning her 21st birthday weeks (if not months) ahead because according to her, she's never had a proper birthday celebration. Whatever that means. But if proper here means having celebrated your birthday at McDonalds' at one point in your life; then I've done it.

And I have no idea why I did it. Not only is it embarrassing to look back at, it also pisses me off because out of all mascots, they sent in Birdy when I was really hoping for a cameo from the purple tapai-like creature.

Okay random, but I just realized that the photo above is incredibly misleading. 

But yeah okay, so the dinner was held at Ben's at KLCC on the day of Eja's birthday itself; 11th of April. And since Nussow only got mille crepe and drinks from McDonalds (and a wrapped up car) for his birthday, that night we celebrated the anniversaries of both their arrivals onto the Earth.

The first three to arrive; Birthday girl, Fatin, and myself. 

Frankly it was my first time dining at Ben's. Mostly because I don't really ever bother eating when I visit KLCC. I visit KLCC only when its really necessary (aka to shop for particular things). Loved the atmosphere though I was surprised to see the place so packed! There were just tons of tables! Luckily enough Eja made a reservation in advance, and we got led into a private room. 

Nice, private, and lets face it; luckily kind-of soundproof because we are one loud bunch.

Deciding on what to order before the rest of the party arrives. I remember not eating anything the whole day, just to save stomach space for the dinner. 

Photo-op as soon as Nor arrived.

Waiting for the rest to decide on their orders. Picture above is of Tiq and Hawa. Lowest is of myself and Nor.

The other end of the table.

While waiting for the orders to arrive, its all chatter. And of course (like everyone else) we fell in love with the conversation cards Ben's provided.

Food's here! Oh, and Azdi, The Gym Buff. LOL WTF.

My order of lamb. It was really good, I finished the whole plate off. Or y'know, that or I was really really hungry.

I don't exactly remember when we started singing Happy Birthday, but lets just say that I managed to embarrass myself again by shouting 'SHABA!' (which literally means sabar or be patient) because I wanted to make sure someone could record it.

And so Hawa did;

After everyone was done eating, it was time to present the birthday boy and girl with their gifts!

I had a really tough time deciding what to get for both of them. I mean, I could just give them a book or a piece of accessory. But I decided against it because its not every year that I buy my friends presents (birthdays or not), so I thought why not put in the extra effort.

And I got really lucky! Went wandering around Mid Valley and The Gardens wishing a brilliant gift idea would pop up, until I saw that there was a massive discount on perfumes! Apparently it was a two-day thing so I scored a bottle for each Nussow and Eja at a good price! 

Went to the park after being the last ones to have left Ben's. Attempted to prank Eja with the Mentos in Coke idea, but it failed miserably... If you don't know what prank I'm talking about, see here.

I, of course, fell on the floor after the failure completely disregarding the fact that I was wearing a nice dress and 4-inch platforms.

Laughing at our own idiocy.

With Nussow! 

Outfit:

Tie dye dress - Zara

 (I recently found out that another shop sells the exact same one at the fraction of the price for this one... Ugh)

Necklace - Diva

Bag - Charles & Keith

Invisible Platforms: KG by Kurt Geiger

To end the post, here's the birthday girl with whoever that was left by the end of the night;

Gunner, Forever.

The. Most. INSANE. Night. For football.

Its sad if you missed it.

Best news (out of the many twists) is of course:

MY BOYS STILL IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!

Hopefully we can be serious title contenders next season!

Good vibes all around!

How cute is Arsene Wenger here?

And thank you and goodbye Pat Rice! 

:'-)

KL Vintage Fest 2012.

My first time at the KL Vintage Festival was the one held last year, and which I wrote about here. I was tempted to go again this year, but at first decided against it so I could stay at home and get some work finished and also because I rarely ever score anything for myself at bazaars and events such as this one.

If you've been to a couple of these events, you would notice that a lot of the vendors sell the same things. Like, literally. Only a few offers you original designs, or pieces that they have thrifted themselves instead of depending on (from my observation) the same stockist everyone else does.

But towards the evening, under a few circumstances, I ended up going anyways. With who else (seriously) but Eja.

I super love these glasses that I scored at the last bazaar I went to at Jaya One, although it is slightly bended. But whatever, it was super cheap! And also because I've been looking for a pair of 'Lennons' after misplacing the one I bought from Topshop. 

Fatin had a booth there as well, and hers was one of the few that actually sells original designs. Make sure to visit her online store here. I highly recommend her maxi skirts (if she still has them in stock) because they're comfortable and has a nice cut! I have two of them myself.

Outfit : 

Denim Shirt - My mum's from back in the days

 (I love finding my mum's old clothes, because they're so nice and its sad to see them unworn)

Zipper jeggings - Zara

Boots - Dr Martens

Bag - F21 

(its bloody worn out, but its been my trusty go to bag since I bought it... 2-3 years ago?)

Taken by Eja.

Got lucky, or in my case UNlucky to have been spotted by Tongue in Chic again, after a first catastrophic picture I had taken. Just FYI, I am the most awkward person ever if you put me in front of a camera alone. I'd either be really stiff, or just plain ridiculous (to cover up my awkwardness, or so I think).

But this time I did okay... Or y'know. Or so I think.

The good thing about knowing someone with a booth there is... that you can totally stop by to cool yourself down in front of her portable fan. Pardon me, but I am a madass sweat machine. Its a curse when you want to stay pretty outdoors (okay but FML I sweat indoors as well when I'm in a hurry) but a bliss when exercising (I'm drenched within 5-10 minutes into a workout).

Taken by Eja.

And once cooled down (and your hair is dry again), its out for more shopping. Okay, to be frank I didn't buy much. I only got a denim jacket (for my sister) and an oversized denim shirt for myself that only costed 10 MYR each! Steeeaaallll. And four scarves (for 5 MYR each) which I picked out of that huge pile in the above picture.

I was cool, and calm, spreading out the scarves that caught my eye. Until a girl snatched one of it, and I didn't want to be bitchy and tell her 'Excuse me, but thats mine', so after that it was just frantic digging through the pile.

Went back to Fatin's, where both Fatin and I tied the scarves I bought into headbands. Super easy! The one Eja's wearing is a readily-made headband that Fatin made herself, and is selling on her online store (so go go go get one).

Left the event, and Fatin to her own devices around 7 pm. Having parked at Corus Hotel, opposite from where the event was held, Eja and I stopped to use their prayer room to perform our Asr' and Maghrib prayers.

After that we headed out to eat nasi padang at this restaurant along Jalan Yap Kwan Seng. Obviously I don't remember its name. And below was our spread, for two people. 

Pretty good food, though we made a mistake by ordering that avocado drink because it is already fulfilling on its own, and not to mention it didn't taste as good once its no longer cold.

Next time its Teh Botol Sosro all the way!

And after that, we went home. I kept up with the Arsenal match through Twitter and well... they drew. *sigh*

That aside, SUPER important match for us tonight and there simply is no other option than to WIN if we want to qualify for the Champions League next season.

Pray for my boys!

All pictures by my iPhone 4S (except for the ones by others, as mentioned), and unedited because I'm a lazy ass whose trial version of Adobe Lightroom just expired and has no idea how to get the full version without having to actually purchase the thing.

Pushing Me Down, Pushing Me Down.

The elimination process.

Hard, but there comes a time when you realize who truly deserves to be in your life and who doesn't.

To be Healthy.

I've been making quite a commendable amount of effort to maintain a healthy lifestyle as possible. Which to be honest, isn't exactly me. But I like the change. Apart from the regular jogging (which I try to do every day now, but skip once in a while to alternate to different exercises), I'm also more cautious of what I put in my mouth.

Nowadays I prefer buying my own fresh ingredients, and cook my own meals. And its great! You get to control the amount of oil and salt you use, so you know what enters your stomach and decide which one you prefer not to.

Even though it is due to the fact that I would like to lose a few inches that I began to regularly exercise and eat in moderation, as time passed by I realized that being fit and being healthy should not just be because you want to look great in a pair of pants.

To be frank, I'm comfortable with how my body is currently. I'm... healthy. But is it for the long run? I'm not so sure.

I want to be fit and healthy so I can do all the things that I've always wanted to do (mountain climbing, cycle along the Taroko Gorge in Taiwan, etc) and not get tired before I'm even halfway to completing the task. I want to be 40 and still look... well, smashing.

I want my legs to be strong and be able to walk without aid till I'm 70 years old... and heck, even older. Its not impossible. I want to be able to promote to my kids a healthy lifestyle, and be able to catch up with them in old age.

Truth is not a lot really knows about the importance of health, and even if we do, we ignore and delay any initiatives till the next day, and the next, and the next (you know where I'm going with this). Especially the people my age, we take for granted all the energy that we have now without really considering the consequences that comes with getting older.

Maybe its because I'm twenty-one and a year older. Whatever it is, I'm glad I've realized and am now (at least) doing something about it.

BLOG IS  CURRENTLY BEING REVAMPED.

Time for change.

Baked Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Ingredients:

- 1 kg of potatoes (I prefer Russett)

- 1/4 of the usual block of butter

- Milk / Cream (roughly 140 ml)

- Salt (to taste)

- Gruyere cheese (or maybe cheddar, whatever rocks your socks)

- 2-4 thyme sprigs (remove the leaves)

- 2 stalks of parsley

- White bread crumbs

- 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (according to your preference)

Instructions:

(1) Boil potatoes until soft. (By the way, don't worry about peeling off the potato skin, they taste better WITH it.)

(2) Melt butter in a pan, and cook garlic till soft.

(3) Pour in milk / cream.

(4) Chuck in the potatoes (You might want to mash them first, before putting it in with the others)

(5) Mash everything together until smooth and reaches the expected consistency. You may add more butter, milk / cream, and salt accordingly.

(6) Heat oven to about 170-180 degree Celsius.

(7) Spoon the potato mixture into a baking dish.

(8) Sprinkle top with breadcrumbs, cheese and chopped parsley and thyme. (You may also just chuck it in WITH the potato mixture. Again, your socks.)

(9) Cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Everything is basically cooked and edible at this point, so what you're looking for as indicator is basically the breadcrumbs / cheese. 

(10) Take a spoonful, and stash into mouth.

You may also make your own gravy to eat with the potatoes. Recipe not provided.