Nadhrah.

Just... Ramblings.

2012-01-31T00:28:00.000+08:00

Hello, and good night. So I'm almost (ALMOST) done with the semester. Today I sat for my English test, and afterwards went through a presentation for the same subject with my teammates. I have maths tomorrow, and to be honest, I'm not entirely ready for it.

Maths hadn't been my favourite class this semester (It could even possibly be the worst class I have ever had to sit through in my 20 years of living). I mean, I don't necessarily blame my lecturer, but oh wait, I do. I love Maths, and for him to make a subject of my interest something frustrating and even more confusing than it actually is... it pisses me off.

But yes, I'm letting go of all that. Forgive and forget. Thus why I am currently facing my old Additional Mathematics revision book, trying my best to remember all the formulas I last properly used 2 years ago, back in school.

And also the computer, obviously.

I honestly can't wait for the holidays to arrive. I have so many things planned, and I'm hoping to get them ALL done, if not most and make the two months a productive one, instead of just locking myself in my room reading and just stoning in front of the computer.

Okay, the former one I might just do, coz I've readily stacked about 20 books according to the order I want to be reading them, and on top of that pile is The Hunger Games. I need to prepare myself before the movie comes out, and fingers crossed that its gonna be good.

Deactivating my Facebook more permanently now that classes are over, and I wouldn't have to keep up with the notifications and updates there. Twitter is... inevitable. And I am guilty of spamming people's timelines with nonsense. Though I think I'm most annoying while watching football... I always assume the boys on my timeline would think "OMG LOOK AT THIS B*TCH TWEETING LIKE SHE KNOWS SH*T".

Okay, granted, I don't know much of anyone else that doesn't play for Arsenal, but I know enough to know what causes a foul and what an offside is. Pretty good, ay? Oh well, who cares what you think.

Ending this post now coz I need to study, and after that; continue sketching some more things to stash in my journal.

P/S: Currently obsessed with water colours and art markers. Up to the point that I almost actually considered buying a whole set of markers that costs 1000++ MYR only to put it back down and make me promise to improve myself so I at least deserve to get it later.

Most Photo-Heavy Post, Yet.

2012-01-27T00:50:00.001+08:00

What happens when you haven't blogged in a while and you just recently found the missing USB connector(?) for your Blackberry? Well, THIS;

How I like my pavlova; In mini meringue shells with as much whipped cream and chocolate shaves as I want.

My seaweed eating cat. Well, one of them anyways.

He always jumps into the car when I get home. So I left him there.

Boost juice. #addiction

PUTU PIRINGGGG in Shah Alam! Incomparable to the one in Melaka, but whatevs.

Me anyam-ing ketupat. (Um yes... the photos DO date THAT far back)

Had about 3-5 boxes of these during Raya.

The obligatory place to pose for married couples.

OMG WHY ARE WE ALL LIKE THIS SO FOCUSED ON WATCHING WAKTU REHAT.

My lovely baby girl, Figo, disrupting work.

Mengada.

Back when I went out for a movie with the boys. Was the only girl... and I wore a baju kurung.

Then later hung out at a mamak watching football till five in the morning.

I am still a lady. Ehm.

Why I Should Stop Coming to Whisk #1

Paraaa paraaaa paradise! Paraaa paraaa PARADISE! OH HO HO HO HO HOHOHO.

(Admit it, you just sang to that)

Favourite salad from Chili's.

Sister Lisa from when we went to play ping pong with her friend and our cousin, Syasya.

Etch a Sketch! For 3 years and older...

YESH!

Sister trying wheatgrass juice. I actually kinda love wheatgrass... Already planning to plant them at the balcony of my room in the future.

When I first got it.

Rainbow cake my sisters and my cousin made for the September babies in the family.

Vaginal Douche. I always find funny products in the pharmacy.

Why I Should Stop Coming to Whisk #2

Candy blood in Amsterdam!

Luggage weight from Amsterdam going back to Malaysia. I didn't shop for anything else other than books, chocolates and cheese there.

Going mad at the Big Bad Wolf book sales.

Salmon sashimi salad + sweet peas.

My sugar glider, Joey stealing a few sips from my drink. Its plain water, don't freak out.

Rice burgerrrr from Sushi Zanmai.

Hell of a workspace.

Closet. Found out I had so little clothes!

Boost again and again.

Tweeted this picture, calling it my boyfriend. Note to friends and Twitter followers; Open and view the twitpic before getting excited that I've finally dropped my single status. MY GOD.

Project 2 group presentation layout. Received an A minus.

#LEGENDARY

Got to witness my first conversion at Al-Khaadem! I've been missing out on so many because I was in boarding school, then Pahang then Egypt, so Alhamdulillah.

Gigantic photo of me in a beard. I need to stop saying 'Yes' to male roles.

Art Friend is my friend.

Barley FTW.

Monocle's 49th volume FTW.

Green Tea ice-cream and green tea anything is... ACE.

Chili's with the 18 year olds.

Forgot to bring a Qibla compass during the Italy-London trip, so...

CDs bought in London.

Our future home. STAIRS ARE UP!

Car snacks I bought firsthand before heading to Puchong to find this one art shop. Didn't find it. Was lost for 2 hours.

BOPPP ITTT! Whoever watches Gilmore Girls will understand the fascination.

KLIUC's SABE building.

Drove around Putrajaya.

Mikel Arteta, coz Fabregas left and I need a new Arsenal crush.

More salmon sashimi + salad.

Fruits + Natural Yoghurt.

Escargots at Jake's.

BBQ Beef Ribs at Jake's.

Second experience witnessing a conversion! Alhamdulillah.

Our DVD player broke, so... (T____T)

BTW, The Art of Getting By is a lovely movie.

Finished photo book + the report for it.

My moleskine planner that I can't live withoutttt.

Moo cow. Excellent froyo in comparison to Tutti Frutti, but would be better if they had more topping choices.

Lamb chops at Food Foundry.

DAMMIT NOW I'M HUNGRY.

BYE.

It Isn't Too Late...

2012-01-26T11:53:00.002+08:00

... to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year isn't it? Well, even if it is;

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

My CNY resolutions would be (okay I know its unnecessary, but just bear with me and consider this an extension to my 2012 resolutions);

(1) Get fit.

Ohohohohohoho. But seriously now. I weigh 51 kilos now, and if I lose another three kilos I'm underweight. Thing is I've been losing weight, not FAT. So weight doesn't bother me that much anymore (compared to when I weighed 60 kilos - my highest).

Friend suggested cycling, and I've started albeit very pathetically.

(2) Make an effort to look nice.

I don't know... its about time I put on something more than a pat of powder on my face when I go out. I despise make-up, but I think its about time (turning 21 hullo) that I embrace it. Except for eyeshadows. And mascaras. And lipstick. And blushers and bronzers. And foundation...

(-____________-)

Gee... great start eh?

To conclude this short post;

In my custom-made cheongsam inspired blazer that I haven't worn out yet. At all. Since I had it made... a year? Two years ago? Geeeez.

Have a good day!

Love, a person who intentionally locks herself up in the house to get work done (DONEEE! Except for English and EPC) and to read up on architecture books (Getting a head start for degree) before finally getting started on things I've planned for the rest of the two month holiday! :-)

PS: Will be painting my room white once true holidays begin.

Iridescent.

2012-01-26T00:18:00.005+08:00

I mentioned somewhere, in a post not far behind from this one that I was producing a photo book for an assignment. I asked you lot (well, whoever reads this blog anyways) to suggest a few love quotes for me to put in the book. Only one of you did though... TSK. Sad. But good thing is I had to scrap the theme and instead, went for JOY.

The photo I used as the front cover of the photo book.

Blogging about the day would be pointless since all we did do was walk / took public transportation from KLCC - Bukit Bintang - Jalan Pudu - Central Market - Kelana Jaya Metropolitan Kite Park.

In between all the walking is just endless (bad) singing, mostly Adele and just blowing / shooting bubbles just about every nanosecond. And of course, the inescapable crapping throughout. It shocks me that we're turning twenty-one this year and yet we act nothing like it.

Like any other outings, we always come up with a hashtag. And this time it was #Forever21. Solely because you know how everyone is talking about the apocalypse, the Mayans, the world is going to end on 20th December 2012, yadda yadda yadda.

Well, if its true (Which I'm not saying it IS, because no one except the Almighty knows when the world will come to its end) that we would all be, just that; Forever 21. Well except the people who were born after 20th December 1991, then boohoo. You're stuck with being twenty.

I don't plan on posting up pictures from the day here, since the total number of pictures taken from three different cameras that day is about 1000+, which is insane. And they're all very memorable, and if I were to put any more than I have here, I would want to put up the rest as well.

So here's the link to the video I edited from footages I took that day;

VIMEO

08/01/2012 from Nurul Nadhrah Zainal on Vimeo.

YOUTUBE

Justttt to get a gist of what the day was like.

I edited the video using my trial Adobe Premiere Pro. I would've used Final Cut Pro, which I learned to use a couple months back, but since I sent my laptop in to be reformatted I never got a chance to install it. Apart from that I've also taught myself how to use color correction on Adobe After Effects, so my videos won't be so dull in the future.

For comparison:

Before color correction:

After color correction:

Before color correction:

After color correction:

Makes so much difference, in my opinion! For one, the bubbles are more visible after using After Effects.

And YES. I do plan on editing more videos... I just need things to shoot. Editing videos are much more fulfilling than editing photos in my opinion, because a video moves and you can just watch them over and over again.

Other than that, I know I'm nowhere close to being done with my posts on Italy. But its only because I'm waiting for my foundations to REALLY end. Right now I'm on a one-week study leave slash Chinese New Year break before sitting for my English and Maths exams.

*groans to both*

Really excited for it to end, but then again, nauseous all at the same time thinking about where to move on from there. Stay in Taylor's? Transfer to another local university that doesn't cost a BOMB, or... just completely migrate to another continent?

Its all very confusing.

And so I end this post, with a rather entertaining / disturbing (depending on how you see it) candid shot of me;

DERP FACE MUCH?

The photo's not flattering, I know. But I'm a sucker for candids and natural shots, especially ones like these that instantly reminds me of the surroundings from when it was taken... and the lame joke that I made seconds before forming that scrunched up expression on my face.

Till then. :-)

PS: Excited about going back to Egypt to see my friends. Cringing at the amount of things I have to bring back here, would definitely need to ship some back home because charges for excess luggage are ridiculous. Trust me, experienced it. Better off shipping them.

And of course, a congratulations to the wonderful country for finally achieving the independence that they so truly deserve. :'-)

Alhamdulillah.

PPS: That reminds me. I should think of what presents to get for Baba (~~our~~ the landlord of my former home in Alexandria).

**UPDATE**

Forgot to share a video from an outing to KL with my college friends, done by the lovely NAI;

A Day in Kuala Lumpur. from Nurul Ain Idris on Vimeo.

Depressed.

2012-01-16T02:19:00.000+08:00

Bad start to the week.

Arsenal lost to Swansea. Swansea was obviously the better team, but come the fcuk on, I'm a Gunner, of course I would prefer for my team to win.

Maths class in the morning. So, FCUK THE WORLD coz I hate my maths lecturer to the core.

Goodnight.

Much Joy.

2012-01-09T00:13:00.001+08:00

Wonderful day, with THE most wonderful people.

I love boarding school, if it weren't for it, I wouldn't have been able to call these people my friends.

I have so much to blog about! Can't wait till I finish my foundations somewhere early February.

A short snippet of what we did today is on Fatin's blog.

PS: Someone left for France tonight. Just a little less than 2 hours ago. Feeling the 3-week loss already.

Tortoise.

2012-01-07T12:11:00.002+08:00

Off to the streets of KL I go again!

A Lot of Love.

2012-01-06T23:34:00.002+08:00

I'm producing a photo book as an assignment, and I'm uber excited about getting it done. Though there is that added pressure of getting EVERYTHING done, shipped off for printing and to be able to submit it on time.

My theme is;

LOVE

I haven't really decided on my concept, but I believe I'll come up with it soon enough. And okay, I know its really ironic that someone like me, who is so against falling in love is the person who chooses capture it in the city of Kuala Lumpur.

But I've never been one to shy away from a challenge, and if this could help me open my eyes and change my views and help increase my wilting faith in love... then I'm all for it!

Though of course, I'm not just focusing on love between a man and a woman. Love is so universal... why limit it to only couples?

At the moment I'm looking through the web and my own collection of books for quotes on love. And I would more than loveee for you to share with me any of your favourite quotes, or just your personal opinion on love.

I'm pretty sure someone reads my blog... so I'm not talking to myself here. I have nothing against anonymous commenters, so go ahead, I more than welcome you to share me your thoughts!

Be reminded though that its not just about love for your partner / other half. We all love many a different things, be it one for our respective religions, art, our friends and family, works of literature... et cetera.

I'm thinking about compiling them into the photo book, so won't you please be so kind as to share?

Thanks, love. Much love, Wowo.

:-)

Deadlines.

2012-01-04T22:49:00.003+08:00

I've been itching to continue writing about my trip to Italy, and also one about the trip to Amsterdam in October. But at the moment my priority are my assignments (final ones, eek!) that are ALL due in the next two weeks.

I. WANT. TO. ~~DIE~~. No, I want to live. But I do wish that it was possible to fast forward through everything and just get to the point where this semester is over and done with.

Ayah's already asking me about Egypt, and I haven't yet decided, given that the dates for our final examinations are yet to be confirmed plus I also need to confirm with my girls back there about suitable dates since I discovered that February's a pretty busy week for my future doctors? I'm not sure. Maybe I should start asking directly instead of stalking their pages + plus iMumtaz.

SORRY I IZ SHAI.

Aside from that, I've also been actively researching for universities to apply to for my degree again. I stopped doing it for a while now, thinking that I should just settle with continuing at Taylor's, or at the very least try out for a spot in UiTM.

But theres no harm in trying, and sending out applications to these institutions. I think I've added about 10 more potential universities to the 10 that I've already written down early on in my first semester. But I'll focus on filling out applications, personal statements, yadda yadda once I've submitted all my works.

This post is turning out to be just a little bit more time consuming than I originally planned, but I only have one last thing to say.

Thank you to the people who have been reading my blog! There's a recorded increase in this blog's page visit, and as much as it is slightly discomforting knowing that all my thoughts are out here to be read, its also kinda... pleasing.

Well, till next time (which will probably be in the next two weeks).

:-)

PS: Photos are irrelevant, but they're from my trip to KL for an assignment I'm both excited and freaking out about (post title tells all). But whatever the outcome is, I'll try my best to share it here once I'm done with 'em.

Lost.

2012-01-02T03:04:00.001+08:00

Uninspired. Lazy. Sick. Lost. Dizzy. Confused. Tempted. Bitter. Sad. Abandoned. Useless. Crap. Angry. Hormonal. Agressive.

Definitely not a good time to be feeling all this, what with the submission dates for final assignments drawing near, and... exams. Fuck it especially Mathematics which I'm super unprepared for coz the focker teaching us is a piece of shit. Not making me feel any better is the fact that I've forgotten every basic mathematical formulas and I feel so fucking dumb and incapable.

*breathes*

I'm just going to have to remain composure and just get this semester over with. I'll try to top my last semester, but looking at how I'm feeling and how I'm (not) progressing right now, all hope might as well just be flushed down the toilet.

I'm so bitter at LIFE. I mean, I know God has things planned for me... but just watching people progress and taking way too many steps forward away from me is making me uncomfortable and leaving me feeling like I'm at a stand still.

I know I'll get past this. I don't plan on driving myself to the ground like I did when I was studying in Egypt. I get everything I've ever asked for, and I'm so so so so grateful.

I just... Need some time away. From everyone. Just me, alone. By a beach. Just to sort out all these thoughts thats been swimming around in my head, and count my many blessings.

I'm confident that once I've done that, I'll bounce back.

But yeah, till then, I'm gonna live like the zombie that I'm slowly turning into.

**Update**

My first period of 2012 came on the first day of 2012. I was hormonal when I wrote all this... My stomachache that lasted the whole day till early this morning wasn't much help either... So yeah. I'm feeling a bit stupid right now, and usually my first thought would be to remove this post. But at the same time I find it hilarious, so yes. Forever in this blog it shall remain.

New Year Resolutions, in Brief.

2011-12-31T04:27:00.004+08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Well in less than 24 hours anyways. As Moslems, we celebrated our new year just a little less than a month ago. Back then I wasn't really prepared to set new resolutions for myself, so now that we're here, nearing the end of 2011 I thought; why not.

To be honest, I haven't been keeping resolutions for... years now. Because years back when I did, I was never really able to fulfill most of what I planned to achieved by the end of those years. So that definitely discouraged me and thus I decided to just let things happen as I go along so I don't get disappointed with myself when I don't get what I want.

So here are some brief write-up of the resolutions (that I've thought of as of now, anyways) for the year 2012;

AS A MOSLEM

Photo taken after our Zuhr and Asr prayers (Venezia, Italia)

To gain more knowledge and insight on this beautiful religion of mine. I would love to be able to answer questions people direct to me concerning my faith in confidence, to be proud of being a Moslem and to never miss a prayer for petty excuses.

The Quran is a book I rarely touch, and I am guilty, for having an immense love for books but chose to ignore that one bible that would truly help me in all of life's aspects. So I wish to qhatam the Quran at the very least 2-3 times in 2012. InsyaAllah.

I've been blessed with a wonderful life, and I need to find more ways to show the Lord how gratuitous I feel towards all that He has given this humble little servant of His.

AS A DAUGHTER AND A SISTER

My family trying to build a tower of our own to challenge the leaning tower (Pisa, Toscana, Italia)

Of course, to make my parents proud to call me their daughter. To provide them with help whenever needed and necessary. Its going to be hard, but to be more obedient since I'm stubborn (beyond belief).

As a sister, to remain the protective sister that I've always secretly been. Be prepared to kick the arse of any and all boys who dare toy around with my sisters' hearts, and make sure my brother grows up to be a gentleman.

AS A FRIEND

Photo from this post (Empire Shopping Gallery, Subang)

Support them in time of need, and always be there for them during the highs and the lows. Be a better listener. Never take them for granted.

AS A STUDENT

Photo from this post, credits to Maureen (Taylor's University Lakeside Campus)

To better manage my time. Always come prepared for classes, and provide good, if not the best idea possible. Read more books about the course I'm undertaking. Maintain good relationship with lecturers, though always be reminded that there should always be boundaries.

Pose as a great competitor to the others. Never look down on my course mates, despite their age. These b*tches are talented.

AS A CURIOUS TRAVELLER

Backside (Venezia, Italia)

Travel to more places!

Take a solo trip somewhere in Peninsular Malaysia, to delve into the ocean of my own thoughts. Take everything in at my own pace, give myself the opportunity to talk to strangers and attempt to capture whatever beauty that the world has to offer with my modest micro four thirds.

AS A PASSIONATE SHOPPER

Part of our haul during Boxing Day on Oxford Street (Leinster Gardens, London, GB)

Cut down on shopping expenses. Purchase every basics that a wardrobe should have. Buy only things that I'm sure to wear, and to stay away from too-ridiculous statement pieces that I'll probably never put on outside the confinements of my bedroom.

Invest on quality items of clothing. Quality > Quantity, so I don't have to keep buying the same thing when the old one wears and tears. I should also stop purchasing things online, especially shoes. They're always unreliable.

Credit cards are evil. Don't overuse them.

AS A DREAMER

Laying around at Padang during the Singapore GP (Singapore)

Learn to let go of some dreams, in order to have less bitter thoughts on life and its 'unfairness'. Set near and clearly achievable goals.

It doesn't mean I will stop aiming for bigger and better things. I'm just taking one step and a time, and enjoy my way to the top. Coz thats where I see myself standing in the future; The Top.

AS A GUNNER

After going crazy at The Armoury (The Emirates Stadium, London)

I shall continue to support this brilliant club that I actually by random chose to support years ago, but with time fall in love with.

AS A PERSON

Upon waking up (Shah Alam, Selangor)

Be happy. Happier. Whichever it is. Stay true to myself, never be afraid of being opinionated. Be a little less blunt maybe, but never less honest.

Learn to love myself. Take care of my body and health as a whole.

Never change just because someone tells me to, and never let others make decisions for me. Be more forgiving... especially to loud eaters.

Remain a virgin. Sexually, and in terms of alcohol, any kind of smoking and promiscuous behaviour. The world is cunning, but I have principles and I hold on to them pretty damn tight, and will continue so.

Be less selfish and self-centered. Trust that others can be of help too and that I don't always have to be so independent and self-reliant.

AS A POTENTIAL LOVER(?)

NAI's hands on our flight to Amsterdam (Dubai International - Schiphol Airport)

Open my heart a teeny bit wider, just so I don't miss out on the good men that comes along.

xxx

So thats about it that I can think of up to this point. There is of course, a lot more details than what I've provided here... but I figured that some things are better kept private, and hey! I wouldn't want to jinx anything.

With that being said, I'm hoping 2012 will be nothing short of amazing for myself and others.

InsyaAllah.

Italy; KLIA - Roma.

2011-12-27T09:47:00.000+08:00

So here it is. The first post on my very recent trip to Italy. I'm currently chilling in my hotel room in London after a hectic day of shopping (Boxing Day, hey!). I've been sleeping in early ever since we arrived in London, so today I'm gonna be a bit adventurous and keep myself awake a little while longer.

That... and the fact that I just ate dinner and I'd feel much too guilty about sleeping straight after once I'm awake. I would almost always gain weight after travelling. Maybe because I always travel with my family and we're always on the bus on guided tours and we'd take the cab instead to save money. So theres not much walking included.

Singapore, however was the first trip where I actually LOST weight since Hadzray and I walked almost all the way everywhere, ate very little (compared to our normal days in Malaysia) and... it was blazing hot.

Okay enough with this weight talk, here we go;

Our flight to Dubai was scheduled to take off at approximately 2 am, so we headed to KLIA around 10 pm. Don't ask me why we were there so early... I couldn't really understand why either.

Was pretty stumped because I spent the whole day packing, because I didn't want to distract myself from college and the work I had to get done before I left. Okay... that and because after many-a-time travelling, I've learned that I pack better when I pack last minute.

After packing I headed to college for a bit to take some measurements (again, WTF) and to return a book I forgot I borrowed (okay no actually I was planning to steal it but heck Taylor's is gonna charge me an arm if I really did that) to avoid having to pay the fine for having return it any later.

Get up:

Slouchy knitted cardigan - Topshop (bought to share with Mama)

Oversized denim shirt - Zara

Black tights - Cotton On (found this in my closet... even though I'm pretty sure I never purchased them)

Convertible Black Bag - Forever 21

Black Boots - Older sister's horseriding boots (She doesn't wear them anymore... and my Doc Martens is too heavy to wear to travel)

I wanted to dress comfortably enough for the long hours inside the airplane, but at the same time still look good enough to walk around in once we arrive in Rome.

Ate dinner at NOOODLES before heading to our boarding gate.

Green tea. Of course.

Ordered their Spicy Beef Noodle (extra spicy in my case, coz I asked for extra chili and poured it all in) and it was surprisingly delicious. Makes me miss Pho Hoa. Mmm Pho Hoa.

I was a bit annoyed at first when I found out that we're going to be flying off on Emirates. But its largely because (or only because) I HATE TRANSITS. Especially in Dubai.

I mean, the first two, three, four - six times (two times with each journey) its okay. But once you get to the tenth till the nth time its just.... (-________-) Just get me to my destination, seriously. I don't even feel the need to walk around to see what I can buy anymore.

But there is admittedly more pros than cons when flying on Emirates. And stopping for transits. For one; Have you ever been on a 10 hour ++ flight?! DUDE BONTOT KEBAS OKAY. Like the last time when I rode on MAS from London to Kuala Lumpur. All I did was sleep especially since I had all three seats in the left aisle all to myself.

Plus, the in-flight food served on Emirates is okayyyy (not a fan of plane food to be honest) though if I had to choose, I'd pick the peanuts they give on MAS rather than the salted bread biscuits on Emirates.

The best part however, has to be the in-flight entertainment. Top-notch.

And if you're lucky to get the upgraded / new planes, your leg space would be much more spacious than any other airline (Greatly appreciated when the person in front of you is an insensitive douche who reclines their seats ALL the way to your thighs, WTF). Oh and did I tell you that Emirates is currently the only airline that allows you to switch on your mobile phones? Yeap.

I should try tweeting from up in the skies....

Fortunately, we had a 4 hour transit so it didn't feel that long till we hop onto another flight. This time to Fiumicino airport in Rome, Italy.

Got pretty ecstatic about this flight because... It would be my first time on an Airbus A380!

Its massive. Feeling so much hate to people riding on Business and First class... But Alhamdulillah. And we all reach the same place in the end anyways. Although they get those pod seats, and 3-course meals and... (-______________-)

Strange dessert thingy on-board.

Ayah traded seats with me! So I get to sit by the window.

I know right... who the hell smuggles a camera into an airplane's toilet and snaps pictures of herself. Oh wait; ME.

Ni memang batak habis I don't even...

Rayyan. Probably the cutest living person on Earth right now.

Alhamdulillah... we arrived safely in Rome albeit about 3 hours late because our plane took forever before taking off.

The Fiumicino airport is very mehhhh. Of all the airports I've been to, I honestly think KLIA is the best. Although if I had to complain it'd be because KLIA is dead too soon at night.

Not only was the airport very mehhhh but we even had to pay 2 euros for a trolley. And its not a deposit. Yes. You read me right... About 10 MYR for a trolley we'd use for like, 30 minutes. But at times like these, we insist to see it as a type of sedekah.

The trolley collectors need to make a living too.

Having landed late to begin with, we got even late-r because my sister Lisa (who came from Manchester) just couldn't have took the train from Ciampino to Fiumicino earlier. So we had to wait for her at the train station connecting the two airports.

We were supposed to begin our day with a trip to Vatican City, the smallest independent state in the world but unfortunately since we were late and had to keep in time with the schedule, we headed first towards the Colosseum.

Colosseo in Italy actually means Giant. Or something that is bigger than life. Much like the word colossal used in English. The actual name of the colosseum is The Flavian Amphitheater.

The Colosseum is used in ancient times as a place of entertainment for Emperors and commoners alike. The usual event would begin with a battle between man and beast (Lions, tigers, elephants, etc) which would be usually imported from outside of Italy to symbolize their power and the states that they have conquered during that period. The highlight of a day in the Colosseum would be the gladiator fight where two men will fight each other to their deaths.

It is said that if the gladiators live by the time they finish serving themselves as 'entertainment', they would lead a very prosperous life. Thus why it is both a curse and a blessing to be one. You will either die, or come out a very wealthy man.

I have to apologize for 'embellishing' my pictures with all these unnecessary effects. Its just that, it was raining in Rome when we were there (and bone biting-ly cold) and being the amateur that I am, most of the photos I took on that day were either very blurry (was training myself to fully use manual focus) or dark (the weather was depressing).

The lack of a clear blue sky didn't really help. Its embarrassing, but I actually did try editing in clouds to one of the pictures and...

#FAIL.

Didn't even complete it because; (1) It took too much time. (2) OMG just look at it! LOLOLOL I can't.

With that aside, some more photos from the Colosseum.

Okay this picture extra blurry because I wrongly resized it, and then only after adding the lame effects did I realize. Didn't want to have to add the effects again, so I enlarged the picture just like that.

#FAIL again

The interior of the Colosseum nowadays look like this. You see those passageways? They were actually a kind or 'dressing room' for the gladiators if I may say so. Wild beasts were also kept in rooms underground.

And on top of that, they added on sand so that the blood stains could be removed easily. Believe it or not, back then they also managed to somehow fill the colosseum up to a certain point with water, and held battles between ships. Amazing right?

The tour was carried out in lightning speed, so I was slightly ticked off that we weren't even given more than 2 minutes to snap photos. AND not to forget that it was cold and wet. So all that everyone thought about was to hide behind a pillar and protect themselves from the wind or to chase that little ray of sunlight, that little ray emitting WARMTH.

Even more unfortunate, by the time our tour of the Colosseum ended, it was already turning dark. So yes... our tour of Rome ended there.

We didn't get to visit Vatican City, but managed a drive-thru from inside our bus. MAD disappointed. We didn't get into St. Peter's Basilica... or throw coins into the Trevi Fountain... or hang around the Spanish steps... *sigh*

Its depressing, but thats how it is; As humans, we can only plan. God decides.

Looking on the bright side; we now have a legit reason to want to return! We could even head to Spain and Greece while we're at it. *cough*cough* HEL-LO SANTORINI ISLAND! (InsyaAllah)

So thats about it for now.

To be continued...

Italy; A Teaser.

2011-12-23T17:10:00.006+08:00

London bound in just a few hours.

Italy... I have fallen for you. DEEP.

And I will miss you dearly.

But I'll be sure to see you again.

InsyaAllah.

PS: Spot the celebrity.
PPS: Planning on actually spending time to edit some of the photos I've taken throughout the trip. I must not be lazy!

With Love from Firenze.

2011-12-20T05:29:00.000+08:00

Ok, so me kicking the leaning tower of Pisa didn't really work out... but good enough.

I know I said I'd update after every single day, but thats proven to be quite a task now that I'm here. By the time I reach the hotel room all I'm thinking about is sleep. (And Twitter, can't help it)

But of course I'd make an effort whenever I'm capable.

Plus, WHO BLOGS DAILY ON HOLIDAYS?

Quick update though; Our first day turned out pretty fruitless because our connecting flight from Dubai took AGES before jetting off to Fiumicino airport, costing us almost half a day. Plus the weather in Rome when we arrived was MAD depressing. Cold and wet and to think all I had on was a denim shirt and a mohair knitted cardigan. WTF I can officially study in London now.

But second day (today) was when we really got to see Italy. And... UGH. Italy is breathtakingly beautiful. This is probably the first time ever that I didn't sleep (almost) at all during an intercity bus trip because the scene throughout the journey (and I really mean THROUGHOUT) was... *cries* Immensely beautiful. Theres no word to describe it, and no pictures that can do justice and you must go there yourself to really experience everything.

I got super greedy snapping away at everything during the bus trip, alternating between the left and right side not wanting to miss anything. Coz there never was a dull view, I swear. You can stop anywhere along the road and you'd have an amazing background for a picture. I kid you not.

I NEED to come here again. But next time; No tour guides to rush me.

Everything nice and slow, so I can REALLY take everything in.

Things to Improve On, Things to Let Go Of.

2011-12-17T06:49:00.001+08:00

I know I've been cheating lately. Again, might I add. A bunch of photos and just a few lines typed out isn't really what I would consider an actual blog post.

Unless its a photography blog I'm running here. In which... it obviously is not.

Though for personal purposes, I bought myself a new camera lens and a new converter lens for my Olympus Pen. The camera lens is a 50mm f/1.8 and its a Canon EF lens... but whatever. There isn't a lot of micro 3/4 lenses out there, so I'm just going to have to opt for a lens adapter (that I have not yet find in stores, and I'm too scared to place an order online when it comes to things like this) that'll help fit any Canon EF lens to my Pen.

But if not... I'm hoping the 50mm lens would get to serve its purpose once I get my hands on my own Canon DSLR. Which I'm not gonna get until I've trained myself to use my Pen to its full potential and capture praise-worthy photos with it.

I know it all sounds cliche, and what I'm about to say is not any less; I don't plan on being a photographer or whatnot, but who wouldn't love to be able to take wonderful photos, right? Especially if the moment is something that you'd want to remember for possibly your whole life.

Plus with all the travelling I'm doing lately, its only fair if I do the places I visit justice by capturing their essence in a photograph. I'll start experimenting with Italy. Planning on paying extra attention to details, especially ones closely related to architecture.... which is EVERYTHING.

Pfft.

On the other hand, I'm finally feeling more relaxed about heading for a holiday and missing two weeks worth of classes. Especially since I've confirmed with my lecturers that I won't be missing any submissions and that there won't be any exams held during my absence. Quizzes, maybe. Hoping I can convince them to let me take them once I'm back if there is any.

I need this break. And I need this family vacation.

Emphasis on the word family because lately I've been feeling really dispatched from my own flesh and blood. I don't blame anyone but myself. I'm a big dreamer, and I work hard to achieve something I really really want that I very often forget to pay attention to anything else that is happening around me.

Even food is more than often ignored. Its so common for me to be feeling hungry in the middle of the night, and then realize that I didn't eat nothing throughout the whole day. I've lost 6 pounds (3 kgs) in less than three months, though my body measurements remains unchanged. So I assume my body's accumulating more fat and my non-existent muscles have turned... well. Even more non-existent (if that is even remotely possible to begin with).

Muscle weigh more than fat, just in case you didn't know.

(Picture courtesy of NAI, further edited by me)

On a lighter note, or maybe not; Boys. So many of them need balls. Seriously. And the ones who have any are cocky as hell.

Speaking about that one boy I've been in close contact with, I feel like once I've returned everything of his that he lent me... its most likely that I won't be making an effort in establishing regular contact anymore. Why do I know this? Because its what I do every time a guy expresses his intention to become something 'more than friends'.

Though I do agree that its only logical for.. anyone, at this point to progress; I don't want to.

I may not be the most knowledgeable person in terms of love, but I know well enough that if I second guess and have to force myself to think about all the pros and cons of what the relationship may bring; Then its not worth it.

Its not. Falling in love should be easy. And I shouldn't have to be calculative.

With that being said, await my next post since I'll probably be blogging about my days in Italy accordingly. Because I know if I were to do it any later, I would find a list of excuses to not do it and continue to procrastinate... forever.

Ciao, Italia.

2011-12-16T11:16:00.000+08:00

Heading to Italy tomorrow.

And spending Christmas in where else?

London.

I can never express through words how blessed I feel to have the opportunity to have travelled and to travel to so many different places around the world.

Alhamdulillah.

All is not possible without God's will.

My parents are definitely second to thank, they work so hard to be able to bring us see the beauty that is in this world, and I'm not certain how I will be able to repay that, but I'll try my best.

Photos courtesy of CubaGallery on Flickr.

Deep Thoughts.

2011-12-12T08:54:00.003+08:00

I want to be a better Moslem.

Oh My God.

2011-12-08T01:06:00.000+08:00

Some really last minute work by a group of enthusiastic people.

InsyaAllah, all will go well.

I have faith.

Because I Can.

2011-12-06T00:18:00.000+08:00

That moment when you don't have anything to blog about AND have no pictures to compensate for the lack of words, but you still want to type things down into a very particular white box on your computer screen.

Yes that's me right now.

And thats also me but a few days ago, waiting for adhan Maghrib. Look at my eyelids. They're non-identical.

That is all.

Coffee Planet.

2011-12-03T10:21:00.000+08:00

So Coffee Planet just opened its doors in Laman Seri, Shah Alam recently and its apparently the first ever Coffee Planet in Malaysia.

I found out about them months back when I went to see my lecturer at her office directly above Coffee Planet itself. She told me about how the interior work was done by her husband. Even got served a cuppa at that time, but since I'm not a coffee person I found it a bit strenuous to have to finish that one (small) cup.

Months later, the same lecturer invited our class to attend the opening. I just recovered from my two and a half day of misery. Being sick, I mean. So I wanted to go out and asked my (usual) battalion of friends to join me.

But that night, only Eja joined me because her other housemates went to sleep (or something). Ceh, do I sound bitter?

And yeahhh. Eja. Again. I know. I can't get rid of her. Until one of us gets into a serious relationship, maybe. Which will prolly never happen or is going to take furrrrrrr everrrrr if it does, because we're both chronically phobic to commitment.

When we arrived, Yuna was already performing and we had a hard time finding a good spot where we can actually see her FACE.

Before coming, Eja and I had a conversation in the car about how food should be free at an opening. Give the people tiny (albeit, still free) tastes so we know what we would want to come back for. But then again, thats just us. Total cheapskates.

A guy came up to us with a tray of sandwiches when we arrived, and already having the belief that everything there that night was free, I reached out my hand to pick up one of them. Until I heard the guy say;

"Oh ini tengah discounted price" (They're on a discounted price). I retracted my hand and said; "Oh, ada harga eh?" (Oh, there's a price?)

FAIL. I isz cheapsz like that.

Thankfully, after much waving and jumping (once, even at an unknown person we thought was our friend) I managed to capture my lecturer's attention and shimmied under the red belt we go. THIS IS EXCITING BECAUSE THERE ARE WAITERS WHO COME AT YOU AND OFFER YOU FREE FOOD. #cheap

Pictures from the night;

With @Qi0808 .

@ayinnyanggsss @ejaibrahim @FatinHilmi

#me

We got ourselves a table yo! Free-food totting waiters and waitresses, come at us!

Queue for...

Ended the night with (more) eating with friends at Pak Su. And apparently so... for the first time, everyone at the table is single.

So... yeah.

For reviews on Coffee Planet though; You'd need to ask someone else coz I am not a coffee enthusiast and the iced latte I had that night gave me a headache. So yes, I probably won't have the best things to say about the franchise.

But come on now, is no one else wondering why there isn't a proper GOURMET TEA joint? Its not fair how coffee-people get so much coffee, anywhere and I'd always have to resort to sachets at home...

Malaysia needs to bring in THIS;

Okay, the thing I'm talking about is that TWG cafe in the middle of the two escalators. They had a lot of these in Singapore.

So jelly.

*cries*

In Sickness and In Health.

2011-11-30T15:44:00.002+08:00

Being sick... sucks.

Big time.

I mean. F this. I always feel suicidal whenever I get sick, because I'd get so unproductive! All I'd do all day is roll around in bed. If I try to read a book; I get a headache. And don't get me started with staring into the laptop screen... Dizziness WILL ensue.

I don't usually layan my sickness because I do believe that that prolongs everything. But heck, when your nose starts running like a river post-rainstorm and drips onto your work, and when you stuff tissues into them you suffocate... then... (T_____T)

FML.

So yes, I do believe that one of the only other thing that I am capable of doing when in this condition (other than eating all sorts of nonsense around the house that does not benefit me in any way... at all, in health or not) is blogging.

Though I have to do it lying down on the bed so nothing from my nose drips onto my keyboard and with the screen brightness at 1/16. Pfft. Basically if I go any lower, my screen just turns pitch black.

I'm not gonna blog about the colour of my mucous though, coz really. Thats highly unnecessary. They're mossy-ish karat-ish yellow by the way.

HNGGG.

So on Sunday, I headed to my cousin's home for a kenduri held in conjunction with the circumcision of six young boys. I love food, though for some reason, I didn't get to eat a lot that week... what with the pressures of a submission and presentation on Friday. Food just had to come second or never behind everything else.

Thus I was more than thrilled to see food (and mounts of it) served in front of my very eyes. And are available at all times just in case you need refills or feel like going for that second round.

In between all the eating, the cousins and I somehow managed to plan a cousin's night out to watch a movie. Namely; Breaking Dawn. And since I was heading to campus anyways a little after that, I volunteered to purchase the tickets.

College on a Sunday. I KNOW. But I had to do it because I got a little neurotic since I had my re-submission done days earlier... and for some reason, whenever I finish my work early, I'll always find out that something is wrong with it, or its just plain unsatisfactory. So I spent less than 15 minutes on campus JUST to re-measure everything and make sure I get everything and miss out on NOTHING.

I don't think I'll be able to handle another 'D' yo. (T___T)

Headed to The Curve to purchase tickets, because all the screenings for Breaking Dawn are sold out or fully booked. WTF GILA. Decided to give up at one point coz WEIII from the highway to The Curve pun took about 40 minutes! And when I reached the parking entrance, the guard shoo-ed me away coz it was full.

Almost gave up until I remembered I hadn't done my Zuhur and its already 4 pm ++, AND IKEA meatballs / ice cream sounded nice (I must be CRAZY to think IKEA would be any less packed than The Curve... something is wrong with me).

So I parked at IPC (Ikano Power Centre, the abbreviation sucks) and finding a parking spot inside the compounds itself already took me more than half an hour as well. *die* But I figured; Ah WTF I have nothing to lose anyways (except my Zuhur... which I missed in the end) so I rounded the whole place about four times, constantly stopping myself from cursing at people who just entered and straight away nabs a spot.

Alhamdulillah, all went well; Got a parking spot, headed to purchase tickets (without a hassle) and it wasn't even full... at all. Pfff. Contemplated on whether it was worth it to brave the queue for a 1 MYR ice cream and... Eh hello. Kerja gila. Went back home, had an impromptu barbecue with the family (nasi lemak and bbq-ed shrimp, fish and squid. Mmm) ...

... and headed out just when the Malaysia VS Bahrain games kicked off.

OH DEAR GOD THIS IS ONE LONG. LONGGG. POST. WTF.

And so to continue; (I'm sick, and taking a break from doing my assignment. So yea forgive me please).

BREAKING DAWN.

*cue the OOooOOooooo part of Bruno Mar's 'It Will Rain'*

I thought the movie was great. So I honestly don't get why a lot of people reacted badly towards it. Out of all the Twilight series that's came out; I personally think this was the best.

Though Edward started to become less appealing from the second movie onwards because for some reason the people behind make-up just purposely made him look even more pale. Oh and also because of those airbrushed six packs.

Fail.

Actually I think the whole Cullen clan just looked dead (or in this case, MORE dead if thats even possible) beginning from New Moon.

And as much as I love puppies, dogs, foxes, wolves and werewolves, I was never really a part of Team Jacob (except for that nanosecond when Edward revealed his shiny glittering 'abs' to the sun in a suicidal attempt before being saved by Bella and then tried fighting the Volturi trio in a robe that looked more like a velvet dress than anything else).

Though I am glad that he imprinted on Renesmee (Never understood this name when I first read the book, still don't years after) because at the very least he gets a little bit of Bella in his life.

No spoilers coming from me. Okay except maybe one;

The only thing I'm not satisfied with was the fact that they cut off the scene where Bella gives birth. Right after Bella's bones crack, the screen just jumps into a scene showing her internal organs just burning or something.

At first I thought this was due to her giving birth (to emphasize the pain) but then it just shifts to Rosalie holding a blanketed Renesmee. That was when it hit me that the burning and very The Exorcist-like scene before was actually Bella's reactions after having Edward's venom injected into her system.

Which is why I think people who didn't read the book would find it hard to find out what the f*** was going on.

The scene where they had rough vampire sex? Well, I don't mind that they cut that off as much, because we had five underaged children with us, and even though I know children nowadays are exposed enough already, I am more comfortable thinking that they don't really know what on Earth sex is.

Plus you can find that shit on YouTube. Someone will upload it sooner or later.

After the movie ended, the whole pack of us headed to Williams for some supper. Some rather heavy supper, may I add.

The experience was just so... LULZY. Whatever that word even means.

I mean, the first time I was there I have to admit I got confused as well because they didn't have menus. So in other words; You have an infinite choice of food to eat. You dream of a moment like it, and yet when you're placed in that situation, your mind just sort of erases your memory of every food you've ever eaten and every food that you know the names of.

But bringing a whole lot of youngsters along with the ride? Not very entertaining, I tell ya.

They were just as confused as.... (-_____-) And there were only four of us who knew the drill, so after about 10 minutes everyone finally decided on what to have.

When all our food and ginormous drinks arrived, my cousin spotted none other than Khairul Fahmi himself. Malaysia's beacon of hope in terms of football.

Thats me holding the fork. #Hipster #WTF

We actually didn't want to disturb him (especially since Malaysia lost 3-2) though the temptation was... unbearable really.

Fortunately throughout our entire time there the taukeh visited our table a couple times and made some really bad jokes. Bad, but funny nonetheless. For example, how the pannacotta they served was more delicious in comparison to most other places coz it was made by a Kelantanese. In which he then told us that the Kelantanese would call the pannacotta... pannakote. (T____T)

WAI ARE YOU LAIK DISZ MISTER WILLIAMS.

And when we were about to leave he basically forced us to take a picture with Khairul Fahmi. Which was awesome + embarrassing because of all the commotion coming from the ten of us. OMG.

So here you go;

OMG HE'S LIKE, ONE FINGER TALLER THAN ME.

(If a finger is ever normally used as a measuring instrument)

To end this post, here's a picture of me tying what was initially on my head before Williams;

In love with the idea of turban headscarves and how I can just leave the house in it, and completely disregard how my hair looks like. Not that I ever really DO care how my hair looks like... or my appearance as a whole anyways... so...

Goodbye.

So My Brain Trumps Over My Heart... Again.

2011-11-26T16:12:00.000+08:00

Desires. Aspirations. Thoughts. Drive. Intimidation. Love. Norm. Serendipity. The motherf*cking future.

Just to name a few things that runs through my mind on a daily basis. I know I'm only twenty, and I shouldn't be stressing myself out with 'adult' thoughts.

But I do. If I don't start taking control over my life now, when will I ever? To go through with living without a care, without giving a single f*ck about anything or everything sounds nice, but you will reach a point where you go into introspection and realize that you just wasted your life and now that you want to catch up, the world have long left you behind while you skipped and threw confettis of flower petals on the pavement.

See, ever since I was a child I knew what I wanted to do in life. Strangely enough, even about being an architect. Medicine was just a wrong decision that in my opinion I was destined to make in order to realize that I should never (ever) go down a path that every other person (except for yourself) choose for you.

I loved cats. And every other animal of course. So I wanted to open an animal shelter. I loved watching National Geographic, so its only natural that I wanted badly to go to South Africa even though back then I just called it Negara Haiwan (Animal Country).

As I grow up and discover new things, my list of Things I Want To Do in Life increased up to a point that a single sheet of paper wasn't enough to fit everything into. But it was okay. After having written that list again and again and again to constantly remind myself; its carved into my mind.

Yes it is possible that if you were to take my brains out, it'll be filled with inscriptions. Okay dah mula merepek.

I may be unaware of this, but somehow, I've always thought that I needed to achieve these things in the time I've semi-consciously decided for myself.

I needed to get my degree by the time I reach twenty-five. I'll have to meet my future husband while still studying, and we'll marry once I graduate and have a job. This husband of mine must also be older than I am, is already working by the time I graduate, and has to be in a different line of work / has a different profession... Among a thousand other things.

But the other day, I began to feel that a time limit to all these aspirations of mine... is inconsequential.

Its obvious that our society has instilled into us this need to rush. Rush into school. Rush into college. Rush into graduating. Rush into marriage. Rush into doing your postgraduate. Rush into a job. Rush into getting a promotion. Rush into buying a house. Rush into starting a family.

(I say our society, because you don't really see this outside of Asia.)

Its all rush rush rush that we forget to slow down and enjoy the limited time we have in this temporary world, and by the time we're old and weary, we'll tell our children; Do this and that while you can, because when I was young I didn't.

And the cycle continues.

Its frightening. WHY do we do this? Thinking through my list... HOW did I ever think that all that is even possible, in the very little time that I allowed myself? I'm not being pessimistic... but the scale of this list is larger than one would imagine.

So it struck me; I should stop.

Not to a complete halt, but I should just stop thinking about the What Ifs. What if I don't graduate before time? What if no firm wants to take me in? What if I'm not married by the time I'm twenty-five? What if I become an old spinster living with seventeen cats? What if I never get to feed sharks from inside a metal cage?

WHAT IF WHAT IF WHAT IF.

I've decided to just do whatever is possible best for myself in the present, and just let the future unfold itself and surprise me whenever its most natural to.

For now I'll study. Hard. Whatever is to come next, is secondary.

Speaking of love... Or more accurately; A great liking towards a certain person of a different gender. (Because I find love to be a really heavy word, that is not to be used except when you really really mean it.)

How do I stop it?

I don't like this... feeling. Where you just... simply LIKE a guy.

Its sickening. Well at least in my opinion.

Whatever it is, I need it to evanesce into thin air and not disturb me until I'm done with my studies. And friends, YES I am ignoring your advice of;

'Stop choosing your mind over your heart'.

Sorry, but I'm just not ready to give myself up to someone and have him go around telling people I'm 'his' like he bloody owns my life. And being introduced as 'The Girlfriend' like I'm not my own person and have people perhaps know me as (insert name here)'s girlfriend.

Yeah no. If people know me, its gonna be because of ME. Yuh-uh.

Now I'm just being extra defensive for no reason. And so... this post ends. Bye.

Stripper Poles are SO Yesterday.

2011-11-23T20:27:00.001+08:00

Introducing the Volvo C30 Polestar;

I blame Hadzray for this because he was the one who informed me about the Polestar's existence, since I've told him before that I pestered my Dad about getting a first edition C30 back in 2009. Though to be honest I wasn't all that ecstatic about the colour because it looked a tad tacky at first, but after watching videos videos of it on the road; (T_____T)

SO NAIS. I kenot. Add to the fact that I think blue is subconsciously my favourite colour, however best I try to deny and say that I don't have favourites.

I've blogged about (quite desperately) wanting a Volvo C30, but yeah that post is non-existent now since I deleted my the whole content of my blog over a year go.

Unlike most people, I did not begin to like the car after seeing Edward Cullen drive it in Twilight (though yes, the car did get a lot of exposure from that first installment) but through an ad on paper that showed only the back of the car. Something like this;

Back then I was pretty confident that I was able to convince my dad to get THIS to be my first car... but I obviously failed, but a girl can dream yo.

PLUS every time we went to Volvo's showroom the car is NEVER there. For some reason its always on road tours. Which is why I'm even more convinced that my Golf and I are soul mates and are meant to be together.

Okay, given, its not really MY car, its my Dad's. But fair enough since I've already 'peed' on it by cramping every possible belonging of mine in it thus totally (unintentionally) giving people the vibe that it is ultimately mine. BTW no I didn't literally peed in the car, thats just despicable behaviour.

But a few months later, an ad came out in the papers about VW Golf GTi being sold tax-free since it was being brought in for the 2009's F1 Race in Sepang. And the rest, as they say it; Is history. I am forever spoilt-rotten thanks to the GTi, up to the point that I'm positive if someone places me in a slower car I will seriously stab myself.

Though of course, if Mama and Ayah could agree on painting it this colour;

Even better.

There are too many white / silver cars on the road.

There is also too many things left for me to do.

D.

2011-11-14T19:58:00.001+08:00

Redo. Alhamdulillah. Now to not make a waste of this second chance.

* edit*

Its crazy. If you asked me about a year ago whether I would want to join my family for a holiday or to stay back just so I wouldn't have to miss classes, I'd probably just scoff and tell you exactly how stupid I think your question is.

I'd of course, without much hesitance (or most probably none at all) would choose to travel.

But its different now.

Lets just say that the family is planning a trip to an European country and afterwards, my second favourite place on Earth (so far) and I am actually in doubt. As in, seriously considering to count myself out of experiencing new territory and revisiting the one I've been to and love.

I find it to be pretty f*cked up, if I may say so. For one; Who knows exactly when I'll make it to that European country if I don't go this December. Well yes, I do have dreams, or rather; ambitions about making it big and having an insufferable amount of money that I'd put into buying one home, about twelve cars and of course; to travel the world.. but that might take me a lot longer than I expected.

*cough*tenyearsfromnow*cough*

Second: Its as if I'm taking this blessing for granted. Many others would loveeee to see themselves walking through the streets of this European country, yet I, who is given the opportunity to do so... am still weighing the pros and cons. As if there is ever a need for one in cases like these.

.... I guess its a good thing that my parents have already confirmed everything, and thus; I'll be going to Italy and Great Britain this December.

Alhamdulillah, praise to the Almighty for allowing me to travel to so many different countries this year and witness the beauty of those places that He created.

Other than that I think its important that I justify the reasons why I even considered to stay back home, alone when the rest of my family is out walking on cobbled streets and eating gelato for breakfast everyday.

For one; Assignments. I admit that the need to stay back for the sake of only this was elevated when I found out that I got a 'D' on my recent submission. A 'D'. Which is unacceptable, but Alhamdulillah our lecturers were kind enough to allow each one of us to re-submit. Lets face it; If they don't, we're all pretty much f*cked.

And the revelation that I received a 'D' shocks me, still. To this day. Honestly, I did expect such a grade seeing as how the quality of my work is far worse than most people. But a 'D' is, well... a 'D'. Theres no more word to it. The letter itself just screams 'FAILURE'. And I didn't take it as well as I imagined I would.

I feel that its important that I not take anything for granted. I may have made my way onto the Dean's List last semester, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'll be on it forever. Truthfully I may have gotten a bit too comfortable being in that position.

I need to (always) remind myself to stay grounded and to not forget that I didn't get there without working hard for it.

And of course to never again forget my obligations to the Almighty, for He is The One who determines the outcome of my efforts in the end. InsyaAllah.

Crowded.

2011-11-14T08:36:00.001+08:00

I wanna blog so bad. But you know how it is when I have sooo many things I want to write down - I rarely ever.

So yea, I'll arrange my thoughts first and I'll get back to you.

Redo.

2011-11-08T23:58:00.000+08:00

Just here to drop by and say 'HELLO' and of course to complain about the lack of free time I have right now. Assignments are just... piling up and I'm just struggling to do my very best. Or what hopefully is, my best anyways.

Have been trying to blog for a couple of days now, just to rant and also to just let flow whatever it is thats been crowding my mind nowadays. But it hasn't worked just yet because I always end up having so much to say that by the time I log into Blogger, it all just goes kaput since I never know where to start.

So here's a mind-numbing and useless post that also includes fortunately or unfortunately (according to your preferences and sexual orientation) pictures of myself taken using what else but... Photo Booth.

Thats just me, bored. And trying out the clothes I bought at the recent KL Vintage Festival. The next is however, a pretty accurate re-enactment of what I look like in the middle of breaks from drawing plans, elevations, diagrams et cetera et cetera;

I didn't say a hundred-percent accurate and I'm also quite certain that no one needs to know what I really look like. *cough*worsethanthis*cough*.

And so ends this shameless post of mine. Back to work I go.

PEACE YO!

0307 Hours.

2011-11-06T03:08:00.000+08:00

Its almost three in the morning, and I am lying on my back (not completely parallel to the ground below me) as I type this. Right now I'm in Malacca, for Hari Raya Haji. Which reminds me;

Happy Eid-ul Adha

For friends reading, I apologize firsthand for not personally sending out my greetings through the likes of a more personal form of communication (phone calls, text messages, etc.).

So I stopped by campus earlier in the day to snap a few (blurry) snaps of our site for Project 2 of Design Visualization. I much prefer to come by to do this during the weekends / holidays because there isn't that many people walking around.

Most probably gonna come by again on Monday in hopes that it'll be entirely empty so that I know the real arrangement of desks and chairs. Once that's done, all I'd have to do is measure the desks and chairs and carefully coordinate them into my floor plan.

To be honest, last week was pretty casual for me. But nearing the end of the week, my mind has been thinking almost non-stop. Mostly because I am constantly making mental notes of what I should do, in what amount of time and when it has to be DONE. Plus, spare a few hours or so on to unwind because without it I would go absolutely MENTAL.

The other night was another good time spent at the gym with the usual pair of people. So good that we took advantage of our rapid metabolism post workout and ate. I finished my whole plate of chicken chop clean. PFFT. And to think I didn't even burn so much as a thousand calories. Of which I know of.

Recently, there has been a lot of things on my mind. Not just regarding my studies anymore, though.

To list some of them; The world, my faith, my friends, and probably the thing I hate most to have to think about; Boys.

The World; Why are a lot of people so cruel and inhuman. My faith; How I've lost myself for a while there, and now I'm getting myself back on track. My friends; How I'm torn between praying for what she believes would make her happy VS what I think would be best for her. Boys; ......

So thats about all for now. I'm off to sleep, and wake up (insyaAllah) in time to do whatever it is I have planned.

Monday-n (Read: Mundane)

2011-11-01T21:30:00.000+08:00

Mondays this semester consists of no morning alarms whatsoever due to class being only the one that begins at 3 p.m. Thus, comforters are almost always pulled up a little more so as to completely burrito-fy self. If the opposite happens; then it is easy to conclude that a submission is due later on.

The only difference this Monday had in comparison to ones earlier in the semester is the talk by Farshid Moussavi, the Principal of her own architecture firm, FMA (Farshid Moussavi Architecture) and a Member of the AKAA (Aga Khan Award for Architecture) Steering Committee, that a lot of us later finds out is rather prestigious award in the architecture world.

Other than her sexy self (and I'm not being inappropriate for she did wear a top revealing most her collarbone and nearly all her back), another speaker was Li Xiaodong of Xiadong/Atelier who happens to be the architect behind the marvelous School Bridge project (Click HERE) and the recently finished project; the stunning Liyuan Library.

Unfortunately, I did doze off for a while when Miss Farshid was giving her talk, because ever since I entered SEMASHUR I cannot, for the life of me, stay awake all throughout... any talk, or lecture, or anything of that kind. Plus the fact that I was fasting might have been a contributing factor to my sleepiness.

Nonetheless, I was awake during most parts of the lecture and eventually left the hall that night, deeply inspired (again, because I try to keep myself inspired everyday now by browsing all sorts of websites - not limited to architecture). It would be great if in the future I could make a name out of myself and make my designs known and easily recognized.

Its like when you see buildings that are a little bit crazy and nonsensical and your mind just instantly clicks and go; Frank freakin' Gehry. Okay, maybe thats just me and other architecture students, but you get my point.

To have a distinctive design that is your own. PSSSSH. TOO AWESOME.

Way. Too. Awesome.

Gooner Power.

2011-10-30T12:37:00.001+08:00

Proud of my boys!

Arsenal beat Chelsea 5 - 3 at Stamford Bridge. Didn't get to watch the match, due to being at Fatin's house, but I was wearing this jersey the whole time as declaration of my support. Kept up with the match through Twitter and then spent about an hour watching the highlights and reading articles the moment I reached home.

Here's to more victories in the future!

Pictures via Arsenal.com

Count on You.

2011-10-30T12:15:00.005+08:00

We extended Fatin's Graduation Party till late in the night, and it was wonderful. See, I'm not one for a night out in clubs, bars, karaoke lounges... but I LOVE low-key gatherings like this. Where you have random conversations with friends about anything and everything. Where laughter never runs out, and you can make a fool out of yourself as much as you can because you're SO comfortable in your own skin around these individuals, you could care less about what you're being perceived as.

Accompanied also by good food and a number of helium balloons... perfect.

Screenshot of our helium performance (I failed, of course);

**Updated**

The Helium Band - 'Baby' from Nurul Nadhrah Zainal on Vimeo.

And a video of a song cover that more than fits the occasion and the people involved;

Count on Me from Nurul Nadhrah Zainal on Vimeo.

Thank you for the lovely night Fatin, and congratulations on your Diploma! A bigger party once you get your degree, perhaps? :-)

These Past Few Days.

2011-10-29T10:15:00.000+08:00

The last few days have been rainy ones. I can't say that I'm complaining, because I love the rain. Though if I were to complain, it'd be because I wasn't able to get any exercise done (outdoors) in the evening due to it.

Pictures I've been taking using my camera lately have been pretty crappy, and I just recently realized that its because I set it to a lower resolution. Lowest, actually.

-_____-

Not that I'm saying that if it were a higher resolution, I'd be able to take awesome photos... but at least better lah, and not all grainy and stuff. Plus all the noise...

So I went back to my kampung in Malacca over Deepavali to celebrate.

Okay kidding. There is no Indian blood running in our family. But I guess since its the holidays, and my mom decided that it'd be a good time as any to visit my grandmother.

LOL WHUT.

The best part (other than getting to see my grandmother) is of course, eating ikan bakar at Serkam. YUM. MAY.

Nenek.

The glorious-tasting nasi lemak.

The damage.

Weird. Plus, it better be clean if not that'd be embarrassing.

The next morning we bid adios and headed back to Shah Alam because parents have got to werq it. So goodbye Daim! Thats right... my aunt named her son after a chocolate. Glad she didn't decide on Muhammad Maltesers, or something of that sort.

Daim, who could've probably be named Toblerone for all we know.

Later that evening was the first gym session together with Eja and Fatin, after much hype and cancellations due to everyone's different schedules.

At the gym pun nak bergambar. Memang tak kemana.

And of course, after each gym session, it is nearly essential that you pig out the next day. So Eja (AGAIN, I cannot get rid of this girl), Zue and Hawa AKA The Usual People coz however outgoing I seem to be *cough*just go with it*cough* in reality, I don't have a lot of friends.

Well, one that I can call up and be ready to do whatever I have in mind with me throughout the day. Why yes, I do know that this so called 'friend' is what others would call a 'boyfriend' but whateverrrr.

Sensitive topic, LOL.

My lunch; Something Lou something Fun something. Errr yeah, thats about right.

Shared dessert;

First time wearing contact lenses since a long time, and honestly; Not liking it. Though I had to, coz I was wearing this turban-ish headband, and if I were to wear my spectacles as well, I'd look like a mada-f-ing fortune teller.

Which is actually not a very bad Halloween costume... but I'd hate to dress up sooner than required. Hah!

I was undecided on whether I hate my hair, or love it on said day. It was manageable, though it was bloody straight and flat and lifeless. Annoyed max. AND its at an awkward length, which is why most of the time I just opt to tie it up into a ponytail.

The immediate solution would be to chop it off again... but no. That'll happen again in a year or two when I start complaining about LONG HAIR (there is no pleasing me, is there) and straightaway head to the nearest salon and tell them to cut it all off.

Its become sort of like, a cycle.

So after lunch, we headed to The Curve to catch 'In Time' in the theatres. My verdict (although yeah I'm no movie buff / critic); I loved it.

Its the idea to use time as currency... genius.

Was a bit weird that Olivia Wilde played Justin Timberlake's MOTHER at first, but after you understood that they don't age after turning twenty-five, then you'll be like; Ohhhh.

I won't spoil it for you, but... Olivia dies.

HEH.

We all know the dude is the hero in this movie, but in my opinion, its Amanda Seyfried. The girl ran (really fast, I kid you not) in 6 inches stilettos la wei. I can't even walk a straight line properly quick enough coz it'll throw me off balance but she RAN. On streets, on sands, on... -____-

Boys may not get it... but that requires some sort of skill or something. How can she not bust an ankle...

Womanhood? Womanlyhood? CHALLENGED.

Ended the night eating (again, because we have the bellies of cows) at Williams where our Fettucini Carbonara came in a plate that you one usually uses to serve about 5 - 10 people and the lamb chop had FIVE pieces of lamb.

Insane. And hella cheap. SO going again. (Coz its my first time last night... forgive me).

I leave you now with an utmost unflattering picture of myself, buat perangai and Eja managed to capture it on camera.

-______________________-

This is why I couldn't care less when my college friend Nurul threatened to put up embarrassing pictures of me on Facebook.

Coz I've had so many of it that I don't even feel any sort of shame anymore. Tsk. Whattodo.

Till then!

Drive.

2011-10-25T01:19:00.000+08:00

Ugh, Ryan Gosling.

I love you.

From back in your Young Hercules days.

Ask Away.

2011-10-23T21:31:00.000+08:00

Formspring.

Yes, I'm ready to receive questions and criticism again.

:-)

KL Vintage Fest and #octtwtfest.

2011-10-23T02:33:00.005+08:00

So I woke up pretty late today (noon), mostly because I spent the night awake reading a book. Am going to make use of my one week break to read as many book possible. Especially after lugging about four new books from my trip to Amsterdam and well, fifteen from my first trip to the Big Bad Wolf sales, andddd about ten more on my second trip. PLUS the ones I've bought even way before that.

Book whore. Definitely missing the times when I could easily finish one book in just one session. My record was probably four to five books a day back then. Nowadays... *sigh* its really really difficult to finish just one. And when I leave it halfway, by the time I want to get back to it, I've already forgotten what the contents of the pages I've read before.

Sad, okay. I always have to start again.

Other than that, my sleep may have extended due to the fact that I don't really give myself enough sleep on weekdays... for motives that I myself am questioning right this moment, since we don't really have any submissions in the near future.

And so all this sleep talk aside, when I woke up, I have to admit; I was still feeling a bit lazy and sluggish, what with my plans to head to KL Vintage Festival with Eja and Fatin canceled because both of them couldn't make it.

I did what any twenty-year old would do on slow evenings; Watch a Barbie movie on Cartoon Network. If you must know, my family collects all Barbie movies available on CD (because we're cheapskates and won't spend on original DVDs), so this is something I actually enjoyed watching. Yes. The bad CGI effects, overload of pink... everything doesn't bother me anymore.

But then it dawned on me. What is it with me being so sluggish?! Its so irritating.

Thus, despite having no companion, I headed towards Kuala Lumpur to check on the vintage festival. Yeahp. I went alone. Its a bit sad, but I've never been one to mind. If you want to wait on someone before you actually do something, then you could be missing out. So whatever it is I can do myself, I'll do.

Parked my car in KLCC, and it so happens that there was this carnival for MotoGP there.

Stopped to watch for a while, but theres only so much 'dancing' (more like gyrating, really) by these GP girls that I can stand.

With Ami Schaheera, who blogs here.

Seriously, I've seen all these bloggers of the blogs I follow, and they're all so petite!

And pffft look at my hair. I was sweating badly, so I had it all tied up and pulled back.

Photos taken while stuck in traffic... and also during the drive home.

DIY ripped jeans. There's a rather amusing story behind this particular pair of jeans.

Filled up my tank with the Petronas Primax 97 instead of the usual 95 and it costed me about 40MYR more.

Doesn't hurt that I wanna feel the difference once in a while, no?

Planned earlier on on joining Fatin and her friend to attend #octtwtfest (October Tweet Fest), but I reached home quite late and assumed that they've already been there and back home. Luckily enough they were just about to head back to the festival, so I quickly changed clothes and joined the both of them.

Had fun making a fool out of a new friend, Alif, who ended up believing a hundred and one percent that Fatin had made a cameo in Caprice's video, in which he covered Justin Bieber's song 'Baby' on the way to #octtwtfest.

Ironic though... how my Blackberry died on me a day before attending a tweet fest. -____-

Fatin and her Milo Ais from McDonalds.

Guy in a dress.

Luna Rahman, who was fantastic and covered crowd-friendly tunes AKA songs we can actually sing to together; Amy Winehouse's 'Valerie', Stacie Orrico's 'Stuck' and Beyonce's 'Irreplaceable'.

A duo of... rappers? None of what they sang was actually audible, in my opinion. But good effort, I guess.

The guy in the middle (same one who wore the dress) playing beatboxer. A good one.

Aliff and Nussow.

Random host guy. Who Fatin said had a great voice (from his performance earlier that day).

Don't be fooled, there were a lot more people than this.

Didn't catch her name.

Loved this girl on keyboard! So layan oh!

That is Faliq Fahmie. Pretty much everyone who tweets on a daily basis knows who this guy is. I don't follow him though, since I'm not really into all these quotes and stuff.

Fatin, Aliff, Nussow.

Gooner couple. I approve of this.

An taking a photo with.... some organizer dude.

All in all, it was a fun night spent at #octtwtfest. Performers were... okayyy laa. I missed out on catching Diandra Arjunaidi... again. First time being in Laundry, where I got to catch Liyana Fizi. Second one being at Urbanscapes, in which I came just an hour after her performance. And now this.

But she gets a lot more gigs nowadays, so I'm hoping I get to catch her one day.

Also missed out on Joe Flizzow. Not really a fan... but hey. Its Joe to Izzow.

Aside from the performances, there were also booths selling clothes (which I didn't even get to see, anyways) and oh! We ended the night with a poco-poco mob which was... hilarious. Just when you thought you knew the steps to such a simple thing, then you join a flash mob and all goes haywire. Plus I was wearing my bulky suede creepers... so I felt a little sorry for the people at my front and back because I keep either kicking them or stepping on their foot.

Got my #octtwtfest t-shirt by the end of the night!

Update: Stole a few pictures off An's album on Facebook.

We were some of the last people remaining.

Outfit deets:

Tank top, bag and fringed kimono top - Forever 21

Black skinnies (DIY-ed into ripped jeans) - MNG

Blue suede creepers - London Underground (bought in Camden)

Us trynna be sexy. I obviously FAILED... Tsk.

I was actually having a hard time keeping my glasses up, they're sooo loose now. I need to send them in and perhaps get myself another pair.

The old and the new. (Friends, I mean).

PS: Heading to UiTM Perak's Archiday in November! Pretty excited!

PPS: What is this Himpunan Ummah thing for the Muslims in Malaysia? I mean, its not even advertised anywhere and I'm hearing people saying we're an ignorant bunch.

PPPS: All pictures by me are taken using an Olympus Pen E-P3... and they are admittedly a bit suckish. Need to learn how to fully operate this camera. -___- An is using a Canon 1000D.

Flavors.

2011-10-15T12:02:00.000+08:00

My 'homepage'.

Insomniac.

2011-10-12T03:21:00.000+08:00

GoPro.

2011-10-11T00:18:00.000+08:00

Earlier in the semester, I edited a video on KL Sentral (see it here), and after that, a short movie as our final Creative Thinking Skills class's assignment.

Our movie trailer;

I have to admit that even though the whole process of editing videos is strenuous (especially when I was exploring Final Cut Pro for the first time), its all worth it once you're done. Doesn't really matter what anyone else has to say about it, even.

So now that I've purchased a camera of my own, I've made it a point to take videos as often as I possibly could. And thats exactly what I did on my Amsterdam trip.

Though unluckily enough, my camera saves the HD videos in .cpi format and I have no clue how to have it converted into a friendlier format so that I could edit the whole thing. PLUS I actually have to work with two other people to produce an official video of our trip that is going to be exhibited sometime by the end of this year or early 2012.

How on Earth am I supposed to contribute if my videos can't even playback on the computer?

-______-

*sigh* First world pains. First world pains.

Though I'll put aside that problem now and focus on my upcoming submissions for Culture this Friday, and Design Visualization next Monday. THANK GOD FOR EXTENSIONS.

Wish me luck!

Last but not least, on my current wishlist;

A GoPro.

So I can mount it anywhere on my car and go crazy.

:-)

Home.

2011-10-10T03:19:00.000+08:00

2 hours of dragging our luggage through cobbled streets, up (and down) the stairs, and getting lost in Nederland's countryside.

The beautiful 'stars' on any Emirates airline flying at night.

The lustrous blue sky that greeted us in Malaysia.

KLIA. Best airport I've been to (and I've been to a lot). Hands down.

My street at night.

Lying down on my back on the rooftop, to catch a glimpse of;

The enchanting moon, with an amazing halo (not pictured).

I've missed you Malaysia.

Traveling is something I'd never pass the chance of doing,

but coming home... *sigh*

:-)

BTW, I was quite taken aback by the spectacular sight of the moon tonight. But somewhere in my heart, I have to be honest; I am a little worried. Though I am not in any way degrading the beauty that God has bestowed upon our eyes.

InsyaAllah, its nothing bad.

Amsterdam: So Far.

2011-10-06T09:43:00.002+08:00

xxx

Red Light District.

2011-10-04T02:32:00.002+08:00

A picture to sum up a day.

Footnote: I'm not a red district kind of person. Both male and female genitals scare me.

Singapore: Day Three.

2011-09-30T20:15:00.001+08:00

Again, woke up late... like every other day. Especially since I had a headache the night before. Again, as well, we had no idea what to do for the rest of the day in order to kill time before The Race.

Yeap. So we did what most people would actually refrain from doing on a Sunday... and on a weekend when Singapore is most jam-packed; Head over to Universal Studios.

Trust me when I say that although we've talked about what to do in Singapore, y'know, vague ideas about the Night Safari and Lion King the Musical (which I insisted that Hadzray watched, because I watched the original one in the West End and IT IS BLOODY SPECTACULAR and I wouldn't mind watching it again)... but Universal Studios was never in the equation.

Mainly because I know for a fact that not all rides are yet open and because my parents are planning on bringing the whole family over there once my sister is done with her PMR. Which I doubt I'll get to join anyways, because I won't be having any sort of vacation... until next year. When I finish my foundation. *dies* Walau wehh gilaaaaa la siaaaa.

Egypt now HAS to wait till next year. *sigh*

First of all, before we head onto Universal Studios;

Aiskrim roti Singapura timeeee.

We had this the day before as well, in place of a proper breakfast. Coz this dude doesn't eat breakfast, for some reason.

This ice cream makes me strangely enough; Happy. And I know for sure that its coz the bread is colourful. I'm sooo easy to please sometimes. Though the ice cream I chose for this particular day (Blueberry) didn't look as funky and well-suited for the rainbow bread as the Raspberry ice cream I ordered the day before. *sad* Shouldn't have been so lazy to whip out my camera.

So we walked towards the MRT station, as usual, and I swear to GOD I think that theres this one announcement that is directed to me.

I was still finishing up my ice cream once we reached the MRT station, and as we were coming down the stairs there was this sudden announcement;

"Please do not eat in the MRT station"

"No food are allowed in the MRT station"

SOMETHING LIKE THAT LAH.

I looked around, and fair enough, no one else was eating. WHAT. THE. How freaky is thattt? So I ended up choking. On my ICE. CREAM. because I know how strict they are over there and I could easily be fined like... 500 Singaporean Dollars for my one dollar ice cream. *cries*

But I survived... and even conquered the globe!

This globe lah.

Conquered it with my mindddd. (I refused to stand in front of it and pose)

Hadzray.

Hadzray and myself.

Just look at me. Awkward o not? Awkward rightttt?

-___________-

I'd buy some if they had one in green tea flavour. But they didn't.

*sobs* My matcha addiction.... its neverending.

Customary theme park photos:

I would've died in those costumes. The weather is no kidding weh!

Packed cotton candies and potholes.

Would've taken a picture ala Marilyn Monroe... but I wore a skirt the day before.

Pizza lunch, and figuring out our way around the place.

A lamppost and frozen Cola in another theme park staple bottle.

I'd always get myself one of these, be it from Disneyland or not.

Girls with flawless pins.

I punched him in the gut by the way.

Just out of curiosity.

So basically we only spent about 4-5 hours there, riding the roller coasters... Thrice. And some other random rides, including the Merry-Go-Round where I became a bit disturbed by how you are also allowed to 'ride' on an old man and woman.

The park was EMPTY. I repeat; EMPTY. We didn't have to queue for anything, other than that one Shrek 4D movie.

And finally, it was time FOR THE RACE!

Awesome pawsome seats and they're one of the cheapest or IS the cheapest. Not quite certain.

I look like a guy here. Right? Right?

*twirls moustache*

Sikap harus tidak senonoh.

The view. LOOK AT IT.

How to NOT wear a tattoo sleeve.

Oh hello there Sebastian Vettel, who is too damn fast for my Pen to capture.

My eyes look.... -________-

But whatever, I like this picture nonetheless.

Around the 40th lap or so, we moved out from our seats and headed out to Padang where we watched the remaining of the race on the big screen.

Comments on the race:

[1] Vettel is FEARLESS. Drove like a maniac (with mad skills). The distance between him and Jenson Button in the beginning was eight seconds and he increased it to twenty-two seconds(!) WTF.

[2] The best car (physically speaking) is definitely McLaren's. The car looked chrome beneath the spotlights of the race tracks.

[3] Lewis Hamilton was... INSANE. Plus he could have easily won if he didn't receive a penalty and didn't crash into Massa, resulting in having to enter the pit and replace his front wing. From 20th place... to 4th? 8th? Wait. Lupa.

[4] Ferrari didn't place in the Top Three. *frowns* But Alonso gave it a good go. :-)

Afterwards, it was LINKIN PARK who put the whole event to an end. I was pretty excited coz Meteora used to be my JAMMMM when it came out. I would listen to it in the car while everyone else was listening to the radio. Then they'd tell me that the whole time I thought I was singing silently to myself, I was actually screaming the words to their songs.

And rapping like the Mike Shinoda wannabe I used to be. -______-

No clear pictures of the performance, though I did take a few videos.

Verdict: They are FLAWLESS live. Definitely going to see them if they ever decide to come to Malaysia for a concert again.

Who we assume to be part of the Ferrari team.

Most probably the physicists coz I'm judgmental and I think I know what physicists are supposed to look like from watching Big Bang Theory.

And so the night ended.

The following day, we woke up late as usual, and straight away checked out of the hotel. Didn't even bother going anywhere else but Changi airport, even when our flight was six hours away.

-__________-

Tried figuring out why we decided on a late flight since both of us had something due the next couple of days and are freaking out. I, personally freaked out because I'd be missing three drawing classes in total.

Hung out in Starbucks so that Hadzray could do his work;

... and I listen to my baby John Mayer and sip on Matcha Frappe AKA The Only Thing I Drink at Starbucks.

End.

Last but not least; I'm heading for Amsterdam tomorrow. Not really feeling the excitement just yet (I hope), mainly because I just came back from Singapore, and the workload is pretty insane, even so early in the semester.

So, may I have a safe journey and return in as good a condition as when I first left. InsyaAllah. :-)

I'll Find Someone.

2011-09-30T12:05:00.000+08:00

Fell in love with this song months back, even before Rolling in The Deep came out on radio, and dedicated a whole blog post to it; Click HERE. And only now is there a video clip for it.

Nevertheless, more people to sing along to this heartbreaking song.

Adele, I love you. Its inspiring the way you take a heartbreak and turn it into something as beautiful as this song.

Love,

Was Heartbroken.

Because I Have a Lot to Give.

2011-09-29T23:20:00.000+08:00

Love.

I'm not looking for you.

But truth be told;

I miss you.

The more guys I turn down, the more I feel like a drone everyday.

I mean, I'm proud of myself for being independent.

For being (what I think) a strong girl in a world where most turn suicidal in your name.

But...

Yeah.

I'm not expecting you to come knocking on my door anytime soon.

Just as long as you promise that one day, any day, you will.

Singapore : Day Two.

2011-09-29T16:33:00.001+08:00

MRT station nearest to our hotel.

You KNOW when its a race weekend in Singapore. Even when you don't give a damn. They make sure to remind you of it... everywhere you go. This is a pop-up tent by Tag Heuer right smacked in the middle of Orchard.

Hullo there H&M.

Old Peranakan building that they reserved and converted into a quaint, air-conditioned indoor shopping centre.

No wonder they're all so disciplined!

I sat so bloody close to this thing and had bubbles pop in my face. Forever a child.

Installations along the road around Marina Bay.

Huge rotating solar-powered fans.

"I'd rather be sailing"

LOL obviously a smack directed to everything being F1-related at the time.

Standing on platforms again.

Makansutra for drinks nearby Esplanade.

Malu ler konon.

Waiting for nothing.

People jumping off to Shaggy.

Day two was pretty low-key. We headed out our hotel around noon and headed for Orchard road. Strangely enough, I didn't buy anything despite their Topshop reminding me so much of the one on Oxford Street (not big enough though, of course) and stocked a lot more than what we have here in Malaysia, a five-storey Forever 21 and the availability of H&M AKA Where-I-Used-To-Shop-All-The-Time-In- Egypt.

I reckon its because I wasn't in any mood to shop, thus why the only thing we did was walk into stores, look, touch, grunt and head out. Both of us basically just wanted to kill time and head out to the race grounds as soon as the events start at six.

Not that we have enough money to shop in Orchard anyways. Thus we headed for Bugis Street, because according to my one friend, its where you get all the cheaper clothes and good food. Unfortunately none of us really knew what to look for there, so yes, we did what we did best; Walk. And well, we spent a good two-hours or so dining and talking at Seoul Garden and before we knew it, it was almost six.

So we headed out to the race grounds for another practice round, followed by the qualifiers, pole positions and whatnot.

Though we got frustrated into the night because; We missed out on Shakira. I mean. WTF. I was just about ready to hear Whenever, Wherever live because *cough* I used to have her album on repeat at one point in my life.

Turns out her time slot was exchanged with that of Shaggy's. So while we were waiting for Shaggy at the supposed venue near Esplanade (for TWO bloody hours, mind you), Shakira was off in Padang where she should've been performing much later that night.

We found out about this a bit too late, and realized that so did a lot others. Coz when we were headed for Shaggy, I could hear people murmuring things about Shakira, and how they thought they were going to go see in Padang... but NO.

Though Shaggy was not bad... could've better because his hits are obviously his old ones like Angel, It Wasn't Me, etc. so no one really knew the words to his newer songs. But PFFT as if that was an excuse for the lot to not shake their bunbuns. Even Hadzray was dancing and jumping around.

I felt like a stick compared to everyone else. I mean, mind you, I don't mind jumping around, but it has to be with someone I am already superrrrr comfortable with, lets say my sisters and my close friends. But yea Hadzray, not you. Sorry.

Not long after Shaggy's set begun I started feeling a little light headed, and began sweating even more (didn't think that was possible at the time). I WAS BLOODY WET FROM SWEAT OKAY. But I didn't want to spoil the fun for Hadzray, so I just stood still.

That is until he asked whether or not I was okay and at that point I could feel a major headache coming. So in the end I spoilt his fun anyways, and we headed back to the hotel.

To be continued....

Good Before Bad.

2011-09-28T19:20:00.000+08:00

Good news is; Myself and a few friends (namely Eja, Zue and Hawa) got to hang out with Wina. Yesterday makes it the second time that myself and Eja have seen her during her Summer break here from Egypt.

Eja and I had to restrain ourselves from heading out to Solaris Dutamas to confirm the good reviews of the restaurants / eateries there made by Eat Drink KL and finally decided on dining at Serai in the Empire Shopping Gallery, Subang.

From left to right its; Wina, Eja, Zue and Hawa.

Lime something steamed fish. *thumbs up!*

Kangkung belacan... A very.... questionable one. At least from this picture lah, in real life its nothing as dark as this.

Buttered prawn.

Gambar ni aneh, but I kinda like it.

Wina had to leave right after we were done eating because her driver had been waiting for her for hours to send her back home to KL. So myself and the others headed for Toys 'R' Us afterwards because Hawa had the intention to buy herself a Tamagotchi.

Tamagotchi was nowhere to be found, but we kept ourselves occupied anyways by fooling around with all the toys there.

Rounded up the day with a slice (or two) of red velvet at Whisk.

Now on to the bad news; There was an explosion at Empire Shopping Gallery just this morning. The actual cause is still unknown, but many (including experts) are speculating that it might have been caused by a gas leak.

The scene is devastating.

I drove past Empire on my way to college this morning... and its so sad. I feel sorry for the shop owners who are still uncertain about the condition that their shops are in. I've been following Whisk_KL on Twitter for a long time now and they tweeted pictures;

I sincerely hope that Empire would be able to run normally again soon, because I honestly do love the place. Dining and shopping there is a joy, most definitely. A family friend owns Serai... and Whisk serves my favourite macarons (in Malaysia) by far. :-(

I even bought my camera there, just recently.

Oh well, what we're capable of doing now is to pray for the best. I shall now end this post on a good note;

Why yes, it is a bit conceited of me to think that I'm the 'better' note of this post, but heh deal with it. The picture is of me disciplining my space 'pet' AKA the green ball of amoebic blob.

Till the next post!

Singapore: Day One.

2011-09-28T04:06:00.002+08:00

So here's a post about Singapore, because knowing myself, I'd probably never write about it if I were to keep delaying. What more with the upcoming trip to Amsterdam, followed by a submission the next week.

My flight leaves Singapore around eight in the morning from the LCCT (Low Cost Courier Terminal) and I had almost no sleep at all the night before because procrastination WILL be the poetic death of me.

Once my friend and I reached Singapore, we headed straight towards out hotel, called Studio M. It was never our intention to stay in such a pricey hotel since... well, since we're obviously students and wouldn't be able to afford it if we were to use our own money. But unfortunately, since his aunt thought we took too long to decide on a backpacker's hostel, she personally booked this hotel for us. Most probably because she fears we wouldn't get to secure a place to stay, especially during the race weekend.

Thus that is when the trip is no longer fit enough to be considered a backpacking trip. Because lets face it. Why bring just a backpack anymore when you can lug a whole luggage now?

The hotel lobby.

View of the pool deck from the sixth floor.

The... deceivingly 'big' room space. Its small by the way.

Both of us took about a two-hour afternoon nap before heading out since none of us received any decent sleep the night before.

Somewhere around 2-3pm, we finally left our room and headed for... where else but Marina Bay Sands.

You'd be surprised how many pictures there is of our foot.

-__________-

We didn't really plan our trip because all (if not most) of what we cared about was the F1 race itself. So everything other than that is all a product of randomness, including this; Seeing an exhibition on Van Gogh which was... a pretty wonderful experience. Makes me want to project a whole galaxy, or at least the famous stars from Starry Night onto the walls of my room.

We were supposed to head for the Night Safari on that day, but once the practice session began, we couldn't really ignore and NOT head for the circuit because the sound of the F1 cars was literally, ringing all over the whole city and *sigh* I. Loved. It. It was strangely enough, a pretty holistic experience for me.

If you're not into F1.... then.... Why AREN'T you, really?

So we ditched lion roars for an entirely different one; Engines. And pfft. Come on. The Singapore Zoo won't be going anywhere. The race circuit? Collapsible and would only be there for approximately a week every year. The decision was more than easy to make.

Stunning.

We didn't really went to our seats that night, mainly because we couldn't find it and it was a bit further away than the gate we entered from. So we just hung around the platforms made available almost all throughout the race track (so bloody convenient, you have no idea).

I have my friend Nussow to thank for warning me about Singapore's weather. He told me it was going to be hot... and it definitely was. A little hyperbolic, but I felt like I've sweat more there than I've ever did. Like... EVER.

I was fanning myself in the above picture. I have to admit it was a bit embarrassing that I was sweating like mad but my friend is... well... dry. Though thats nothing to be ashamed of.

My friend, experimenting with the different art filters on my camera.

Mind you, so little pictures of myself throughout the trip are posed because I always go on AWKWARD mode every time someone tells me to stand someplace and tells me to smile when they count to three. Candid shots, in my opinion, is the best. And I always look better in them.

In MY opinion lah.

I was actually reading the programme when my picture was taken. His is obviously posed.

*cari pasal*

We spent most of the first night of the race just walking around the circuit, and occasionally dropping by the pop-up stalls to eat.

The rest of the night? Lounging / Lazing around on Padang, enjoying the performing acts of the night. (Read: Charice, Seungri, GD & TOP)

To be continued...

*insert suspense-inducing music*

Race Weekend in Singapore: A Teaser.

2011-09-27T08:53:00.004+08:00

Great architecture.

Great performing acts.

*cough* Shaggy, Shakira, Charice, Seungri, GD & TOP, Linkin Park! *cough*

Awesome seats!

The Ferrari Scuderia spirit!

I still love you Alonso.

A weekend with probably one of the most valuable acquaintances I have right now. Nothing 'romantic' going on here though(!). I just feel that its good to have someone who is passionate about architecture and is always willing to share with me tips and well, let me borrow his extensive collection of architecture books that would've cost me... A LOT if I were to purchase them myself.

Will update soon after I catch up with my college mates on coursework! Missed three drawing classes due to food poisoning and Singapore, and I'm scared I'll fall behind.

BTW, next week its Amsterdam! And a site trip to Cambodia (insyaAllah) in December.

I'm loving all the traveling I get to do lately.

*blessed*

Alhamdulillah.

Singapore, Ahoy!

2011-09-22T19:53:00.000+08:00

Olaaa amigos! So... the thing is... I'm excited! Because in less than 24 hours, I'm gonna be in Singapore for the first time everrrr.

Unlike most people, I'm headed there to watch this weekend's F1 race and not to visit Universal Studios. Which is actually, a pretty sad thing. Though my parents kinda promised to bring the whole family there once my sister is done with her PMR. So all is good.

I miss watching F1 races! So yeah, I'm ecstatic!

So it was my dad's birthday last Tuesday (September 20th), and usually we would go out for dinner, but my dad being the un-extravagant person that he is (except when he visit Bicester Village and Cheshire Village in the UK) opted to simply have dinner at home.

I actually wanted to place a booking at Rakuzen, but hey. Whatever makes my dad happy. WHOEVER DARES MENTION MY CARD BILLS RIGHT NOW... GO JUMP OFF A CLIFF! My previous bill was a massive amount coz I helped buy my sister's Macbook, okay? :-D

How cute?!

And why yes, I do take after my father more. Hopefully I inherited his work ethics as well. *tsk*

My father's birthday cake was a mille crepe cake in Original (Vanilla) and Mango. If you search over the internet, you'd know that mille means 'a thousand' or something like that in French. And well, crepe is crepe lah! Its kinda like pancake, but is thinner.

So when you put the word mille and crepe together, you get mille crepe and basically it means a thousand layer of crepe.

If you look closely at the picture of the slice of it above, you'll see that it has A LOT of layers of crepe, place on top of each other, not forgetting the vanilla cream in between. :-9

(I apologize for the bad photos, I think by now its clear that I'm not a very talented in taking them.)

Funny thing about the cake is that the place didn't have one whole cake for sale, so I bought 6 slices of vanilla and 6 slices of mango (because Ayah lovesss mangoes) so they'd at least LOOK whole. But mehhh if they did sell one (uncut) whole cake, I'd imagine we'd make a big mess when slicing them.

If you're planning on getting some for yourself, you can head over to Food Foundry, located in PJ. Somewhere near SS2.

To end this post; HAPPY BIRTHDAY AYAH. I love you! Although I don't show it, coz you know how I am. You've always been my idol from when I was little, and still.

:-)

PS: I still haven't blogged about Raya. -_________-