The CNY aftemath.

We celebrated CNY over the weekend and I think one of everyone's most dreaded question is "So when are you getting married?".

I think I dread the question less now that I'm single as compared to when I was attached. Cause now one can easily dismiss the question with "Aiyaaa, no boyfriend now. You help me find la". Back then, I would continue stressing about it cause I would then have to have The Talk with the bf. 

Although, I'm starting to think my cousins are more concerned about my relationship problems than I am. At one point, I think my cousin was about to cry thinking about me being all alone. She tried to give me advise on going out more and making new friends, attend more events and stuff like that. She also told me to not be so choosy. 

It's a fine line isn't it between being less choosy and settling. There was a point in time where I asked KY, is this what they mean when they say to lower your expectations with my available calons. KY pretty much freaked out and told me "no larrrrrr. that is like picking between uncle billy and jacky!!! in which case you definitely choose to be a nun or jump off klcc. lowering your standards still have to be a functional human being"

So fine, I shouldn't make do with my available options. 

At the same time, my cousin read my numerology. From what I gather, I'm too talented and intelligent that I'm scaring men off. I should be staying away from numbers 1, 7 and 9 cause those numbers would make me more talented and intelligent. I'm not sure why that's a bad thing. I'm not sure whether I would want to reduce my awesomeness just to find a lifelong partner. Shouldn't he instead be able to match me in every way?

It's all very confusing this relationship thing. 

Don't be picky but don't settle.

All this is fate and it'll happen organically but you can't sit around waiting for love to happen.

Don't change who you are i.e. if you're an introvert but you need to be more friendly to meet new people.

Oh gosh, there are times where people expect you to try harder to make things work. But it's exhausting okay! Putting yourself out there and getting your hopes crushed takes quite a toll on a person. Sometimes you feel exhausted not even doing anything. DS pointed out I'm probably exhausted from waiting in anticipation for something to happen. But nothing is happening. So true. 

So, I'm going to take a break from this hunt for a little while. I'm going to enjoy my single life, while I can. I'm going to make all sorts of plans whenever I feel like it. Okay, I really need to do the watch-a-movie-alone thing.Wish me luck, guys!

Traffic Theories.

The most common question asked in the past week has been "it's December, why is it so jam?". Okay maybe other people have been having more grown up, save-the-world type conversations but me and my friends have been trying to figure out this unusual traffic thing. Usually during school holidays, traffic would be a breeze. It's what makes working in December not all shitty. 

So Theory #1, it's the rain! Cause rain = floods = traffic jam. Well, that theory got rebuffed pretty quick. It hasn't rained this past week and traffic only clears after 9pm like come on guys, go home already!

Then we moved on to Theory #2. Economy is bad, everything is expensive, nobody is travelling. LIES!! My friend told me KLIA is super packed. i saw someone posted a photo on Instagram too. The queues were crazy long. 

After Theory #2 was busted, we came up with Theory #3: due to the school holidays, people from out of town have been coming to KL for holiday. Since they don't know how traffic in KL is like on a working day, they've been clogging up the roads during peak hours. 5pm onwards is when they're travelling home/somewhere for dinner. I was holding on to this theory for the longest time. Last night, as my colleagues and I was walking back from dinner, I excitedly relayed my theory to them. But as I was talking, I realised I was so so wrong. We were staring at the traffic and all the car plates were KL or Selangor car plates. Bye bye Theory #3. 

So we've come to the boring AF conclusion that maybe it's just due to population growth. The city can't copy with the population anymore. The end. 

Hokkaido in Summer.

Back in August, mama and I went for a little short trip to Hokkaido. In the past few years, I've already been to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto and I LOVE JAPAN. It's one of those countries you visit and you can't wait to go back. If only it was a little nearer. And cheaper. Exchange rates are off the charts right now! 

We took a night flight so that when we got there, it's bright and early and we would have a whole day to do stuff. Mama decided to take the Air Asia flatbed for us to get a good night's sleep. Well, I've come to realise, no matter how comfortable it is (they even give you a comforter ok!), I will never be able to sleep on the plane. Being in the air just makes me really anxious. 

Btw, despite being in the premium flatbed area, the food served to you is still pathetic AF.

So we arrived at New Chitose Airport super early in the morning. Like before the shops are even opened. The first thing we got was coffee obviously and being the kiasu Malaysians that we were, we saw a long queue for the baked cheese tart and start queuing up too. Oh, it did not disappoint. I highly recommend it! You will see branches all over Sapporo anyway.

There's actually a lot to shop and eat at the airport, which we did, cause we were waiting until we could check in our Airbnb. We took one of those airport shuttles to a hotel near our Airbnb and took a short walk there. It was all very convenient. LOVE IT!

Here listed are the places of interest that I visited. We took a private tour so we were driven around everywhere. The leceh thing about traveling around Hokkaido is that you probably need to rent a car to visit the outskirts which were all very pretty 

Farm Tomita

Probably more ideal to visit this place during lavender season (which we missed) but the flowers are still amazingly beautiful. And of course, one has to try the lavender ice cream which was surprisingly really good. I imagined it to taste like soap initially.

I tried the Hokkaido melon too. Initially I was so gung ho to try everything but then I started to realise mama wasn't sharing the food with me and I had to finish everything myself. So I started cutting down towards the end. 

Shikisai No Oka, Biei

The variety of flowers here was even more than Farm Tomita. It was fields and fields of flowers. So goddamn pretty. 

Shirahige Waterfall

We were a bit unfortunate cause before we arrived, there was a typhoon which hit Furano and completely damaged the Biei Blue Pond. The pond is suppose to be blue due to the minerals or something (you can totally google it if you were really interested) but due the typhoon, the whole area was damaged and the pond was brown from the mud and stuff. I was so sad cause the bond looks amazing in pictures. We went to Shirahige Falls instead, which we could see some tint of blue in the water.

Ningle Terrace

An area for the locals to sell their arts and crafts. They're all set up in cute little huts. The whole area is extremely well maintained. Even if you're not going to buy anything, it's a nice place to go look see. Just cause the huts are so pretty. 

Sapporo Station

This is, I believe, the main station of Sapporo. Tonnes and tonnes of shops and restaurants. There's Daiso and Yodobashi nearby. Mama went in and never came out until it was time to eat lol. I'll save the places to eat for another post.

Noboribetsu Area

We went to Shikotsu-Toya National Park , it is named after the volcanic caldera lakes of Lake Shikotsu and Lake Tōya. The whole place reeks of sulphur but looks very pretty. Like you just want to randomly snap pictures of everything without actually knowing what it is. Actually, looking back at my photos, since I wasn't fully paying attention to the guide, I have no idea what I took. 

Oyunuma Lake

It's a thermal lake with smoke coming out. I took so many boomerang shots lol. 

River Oyunuma Natural Footbath

If you're in the area MUST VISIT the free natural footbath. It was the most relaxing thing ever. I felt like i never wanted to leave. 

Mt Moiwa Ropeway

This was one of my most favourite places in Hokkaido. You take a cable car up Mt Moiwa and get a beautiful view of the city. We couldn't wait until the sunset cause we had a dinner reservation but I'm sure the view would be amazing. We got a glimpse of it and I was already weeping from it's beauty.

Shiroi Koibito Chocolate Factory

The biggest scam in history. THERE WAS NO CHOCOLATE AT ALL! They had the randomest shit like stained glass.

Teacups?

Gramophone?

Children's old toys and jerseys? I was smiling here but deep down, I was like where da fak is my chocolate?!



The architecture of the place was uniquely European. But otherwise, you can give the chocolate factory a miss. Unless you're looking for non-chocolate stuff, then it's pretty fascinating. 

Otaru

The part of Japan that doesn't look like Japan. Lots of random museums. We browsed through this area fairly quickly. Lots of souvenirs and local snacks to bring home as gifts.

Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway

After going up Mt Moiwa, this was just meh.

Cape Shakotan

I only went down halfway cause every step I took to go down was a I step I had to take to go back up. Was worried about my ankle. If anything happened, there would have been no one to save me!

Cape Kamui 

There's a beautiful lighthouse at the end that I did not make the walk too. Cause mama was too tired to go all the way there and I didn't want her to wait for me. Plus, who's going to take my photo when I get there. So maybe another time insya Allah. 

And that's all we visited. All in all, I loved Hokkaido too. I really wouldn't find going back. Maybe next time in Spring when it's less likely to have a typhoon. We were sorta lucky I guess cause our flights nor our holiday was significantly affected by the typhoon. Although, I would have loved to see the Blue Pond. 

If I spelt some of the places wrongly, oops! Sorry. I'm sure google would have corrected you.

Things to do when you’re single.

It’s weird blogging publicly again. Although I doubt anyone is reading but hey, I just like listening to myself talk or read what I write. Whatever.

The last time I wrote a proper wordy post was way back in 2013! Wow wee. No wonder the words aren’t flowing freely in my head anymore. But I’m going to try and keep this up as part of my 29 before 30 bucket list. Maybe by the time I reach my 30^th birthday, I’ll be like fuck it. Kinda like I almost immediately gave up on my “learn to play the ukulele” idea.

So for today’s fun topic to ramble about; Things to do when you’re single!

Honestly, I don’t fancy being single much. The worst is finding someone to watch a movie with you. Okay fine, I have yet to watch a movie alone (as per my bucket list) but I doubt it’s something I would enjoy. But at this very moment, I’m quite tired of trying. The process of getting to know someone and putting yourself out there is exhausting! Even more so when I’m an introvert and all.

But NO, we shall not be filled with self-pity. Cause the world is one’s oyster! Actually, I had to google what that actually meant cause people always say it and I just wanted to make sure I used it appropriately. FYI, I used it right. Ha ha, I’m so smart. Sorry lah, my vocab has never really been my strongest point.

Let’s begin! *scrolls through photo album to see what I’ve accomplished so far*

1. TV series binge… bra-less #somuchwin

Right after my break up, I went on an American Horror Story marathon. I hooked my computer up to the TV downstairs; I lied on the bed and watched 2 whole seasons back to back. The only time I got up was to eat and pee, cause necessities right. It was the most amazing thing cause mama did not say a word about it. Instead, she actually watched a few episodes with me.

If I was not single, mama would definitely ask why am I not out dating. 

On a side note, season 1 and 2 of AHS is amazing! Best break up series ever.

2.   Rekindle relationships

I admit. Everytime I’m in a relationship, I spend less time with my friends and family. As much as I don’t fancy (I keep using this word cause “hate” is such a strong word) being single, I have thoroughly enjoyed friends and family time.

All those #panmeefridays my cousins arranged to keep me company.

All those Break Out sessions CL went with me.

All those climbing sessions on Saturdays where AH and SR kept my mind off my sadness. Well, before I fell and permanently hurt my ankle.

All those frivolous daily conversations I had with ES, KY and RG.

All those brunches I had with my mom and sister. I’ll probably blog about all my brunches one day.

I’m sure they don’t think what they’ve done made an impact but it mattered so much to me that I had such a good support system. Big love and hugs to all.

3.   Hiking

If you read those Lists To Do When You’re Single, one of it is always say YES to everything. And that’s what exactly I did when my cousin asked me, “hey, want to go hiking?”. Can’t say that I thoroughly enjoy hiking considering I’m always puking in the first 5 minutes. But few things go through your mind as you’re making the hike.

- I’m hungry (almost the whole way).

- Omfg why did I agree to this?

- Interlude with a bunch of Disney songs. I swear, Mulan songs make very good hiking motivating songs “Let’s get down to businesssss!!!! To defeat the Hansss!!!!”

- I’m never saying yes to anything physical ever again!

- Oh god, why would my cousin ask me to do this, it’s like she doesn’t know me at all.

- Fak fak fak!

- Every step I take up is a step I have to take down.

- OOOOO THE VIEW IS SO PRETTY I DON’T MIND DOING ANOTHER HIKE!

And then history repeats itself.

4.   Working out in general

I don’t know when exactly I started being active but I guess I just had a lot of free time in my hands. When your friends are busy and it’s really jam, what is a girl to do but go to the gym. Although, that hasn’t been working out very well recently. But once upon a time, I was going to the gym every other day yo. And I think that helped with my weight loss. Win-win!

Since I was active and stuff, I signed up for a 10km marathon. But I have since decided, yup once is enough. My new favourite work out now is Pilates. Been going every Sunday with my family and I LOVE IT. I have concluded I am more of a yoga Pilates rolling around in bed kind of girl. Not that way, you dirty little minds!

Oh, I was also taught how to pick up a guy in the gym. 

Just smile and eye contact. 

Duration: 2 secs per glance

Frequency: not too much 

I got that tip from a guy ok, so I'm quite sure it'll work. But I have yet to try it cause I'm more of a don't make eye contact with anybody kind of person. However, if you do try it out, let me know if it works!

5.   Go on Tinder

Not in the sense of finding eternal love. I’ve tried that. It didn’t quite work out. But more of a #TinderNightmare kind of way.

On Valentine’s Day/Cousin’s Bday, we went for a trip to stay in a tree house in Johor. My cousin was the only one in a relationship then and everybody else was single. I let a friend use my Tinder account and it was hilarious. JL has taught me how to flirt and also how easy it is for a girl to get a guy’s number. JL’s got more game than me. 

Exhibit A:

Exhibit 2:

and my favourite, Exhibit C:

I had to un-match everyone the moment we left Johor lol.

6.   Take on a challenge

Like a hair challenge! 

Cause nobody is going to be embarrassed on your behalf. Thinking back, my cousin still owes me a Boost juice for completing it. Let me tell you, some of those challenges were really hard and it was hard to explain to my bosses whenever they came back from lunch early. It’s like “Can you please stop asking me what I’m doing. I don’t judge you and what you do during your free time!”. But I think they’re mostly used to me and my quirky ways by now.

7.   Travel

I know people always say you should travel by yourself but why travel alone when you’ve got family and friends? This is the time I’ve been saying YES to almost every holiday possible. Which is why I almost used up my leave this year. I’m left with 1.5 days which I’m saving up for emergencies.

I can travel anywhere, anytime, without feeling the guilt of leaving my partner behind. Once upon a time, I actually changed my travel date to Bangkok just so I could spend my ex-bf’s birthday with him. No more, bruh! Now it’s like, enough leave? Okay, let’s go!

Plus, when you're on holiday, you don't have to worry about what to buy for your partner as souvenir. That is seriously challenging. 

Anyway, that's all I've got for now. Let me tell you, if ever I'm in a relationship, I'm going to be singing a completely different tune. That's life, isn't it? You make the best of whatever situation you're in :)

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Coffee that Tickle My Fancy.

i don't know when exactly it began, but i fell in love with the taste of coffee. i could almost call it an addiction. i simply want coffee or coffee flavoured anything whether it's ice cream, cake or any form of dessert for that matter. 

previously, i used to order a mocha cause i loved the mixture of coffee and chocolate but ever since we went to Italy, it's like i've graduated and i only have cappuccino now. so here we have my utmost favourite coffee joints in town. likely in no particular order.

1. Coffee Societe

Solaris Dutamas (Publika)

1, Jalan Dutamas 1 

Kuala Lumpur

this was probably the first place i had coffee where i thought omg, i have to bring mama here. since she's also a coffee lover and all. i've tried the hot and the cold and they're all good.

on one weekend, i have such a strong coffee craving, i made C come out and have coffee with me. or rather she watched me drink coffee while she caught Pokemon. win-win!

and from the same company, i also love...

2. Garage 51

1, Jalan PJS 11/9

Bandar Sunway

same same, good like Coffee Societe.

3. PULP by Papa Palheta

29-01 Jalan RiongKuala Lumpur, Malaysia

this was one of the places which i googled for coffee and found it. and decided to bring mama to try it out and to me, this is my favourite coffee. there's just this extra aroma or flavour to it. when you drink it, you'll also smell it and everything is just so good!

and plus, i love the food there too!

4. Grey Sky Morning

6, Jalan SS 13/4

Subang Jaya 

this was probably my most recent discovery. hang out with people who love coffee too and you discover all kinds of yummy coffee places. the coffee at GSM is almost as good as PULP but still lacking the aroma. but oh, i do love the salted caramel cake here. plus points for it being really near to home!

5. Grind 22

22, Lorong Maarof

Bangsar Park

another recent discovery. coffee here is not as awesome as PULP and GSM but it's still good. it's those otw home coffee place. 

please excuse the mess. it was challenging to keep everything in the cup with so many humps in Bangsar.

the ambience there is pretty nice too. when it's not too hot i think. they have the frozen mango cheesecake there too! 

i've tried the hot and the cold drinks. i even had juice there before cause didn't want to have coffee too late. nanti takleh tidur. my friend says the Caramel Latte is really good there too. 

and there you have it. my Top 5 coffee joints. 

Possible responses to the dreaded question.

i just realised i'm going to be bridesmaid for the next 3 consecutive weddings for the year. thus, i have to be prepared for the dreaded question which will be asked at all weddings, "soo, when's your turn?". it's inevitable!

on the way to work today, i was thinking of the possible answers i could respond with and here are some of them:

1. "Oh, I'm waiting for him to move back here from Korea" 

(with my Kpop celebrities in mind)

I've used this before with an Aunty of mine. her respond to that was just "ohh okayy" and continued talking to my mom which made me think she wasn't really that interested in my answer anyway hehe.

2. "I gave my heart to him but he married somebody else"

(with Justin Timberlake in mind)

i just hope people would feel awkward with a respond like that and just stop probing. but even if they do, i probably have our life story in my head as i'm typing. we met when we were in our teens. i didn't notice him much at first cause he had really dorky hair. but in my twenties, something changed in him and next thing you know, we fell in love. we were going to go a distance but our jobs kept us apart. and HE WENT AND MARRIED JESSICA BIEL! *gasppps* how could he????

3. "My family doesn't approve of his bulgy eyes"

(this is more for Aziemah with Jake Gylenhall in mind)

and the family member that doesn't approve of his bulgy eyes is me wtf.

4. "Marrying him could get me arrested for statutory rape"

(with One Direction in mind)

actually, they're legal already right? but for some reason, it still feels very pedophilic to be staring into their eyes as they serenade me with "Little Things".

5. "We would be married by now if he would just come out of that bloody TV!!!" 

(with Harvey Specter and Logan Echolls in mind)

this one runs the risk of people thinking you're abit cuckoo. but then again, there are even weirder people out there in the world. i'm suddenly reminded by the episode in Friends where the girl thought Joey was actually Dr Drake Ramoray lol. so you see, wishing you were married to a fictional character is definitely the bottom of the Crazy Scale.

6. "Hahahahahahhahaha.... oooo cake!" *excuses self*

this is probably the most likely to be used... awkward laughters are my forte.

Random babbles about fear.

its ridiculous how i have 8 incomplete entries in my drafts. every time i start an entry, i lose my muse halfway through. i blame it on candy crush, i tell you. 

so anyway, i had a meeting to attend to a few weeks back. i was not presenting nor directly involved in it but i was getting nervous since i found out about it on Friday. despite the fun-ness of the weekend, the thought of going for the meeting still loomed over me throughout. 

come Sunday night, i had a freaking nightmare about the meeting. i dreamt i went for it totally empty handed and unprepared. i woke up feeling like i barely had any sleep.

over breakfast, i was telling my parents about how i'm super freaked out about the meeting. i always relate my fear of meetings/presentations with my general fear of people lol. but then my dad asked me "why are you so insecure with yourself? you need to build up your confidence"

it never occured to me that i have problems with my confidence. cause i'm mostly happy with myself. i like my looks, i like my personality wtf. although my recent discovery of how much fats and little muscles i have scared me. but aiyaa, i still think i look okay one. 

but then i sat down and really, really thought about it. i do have this fear and insecurity that clients would think i'm dumb. it's like i know i'm not expected to know everything and i even know the textbook response to something i don't know the answer to. honestly, when the time comes for me to actually meet clients, i would look totally calm and collected. you wouldn't even hear the waver in my voice despite the fact that my heart would be pumping a million times a minute (except for the occasional choking on my saliva cause i'm trying to make my voice sound deeper wtf).

no matter what i tell myself or try to convince myself that there's nothing to be scared about, i can't help but experience that irrational fear. i don't know. i'll probably only get over it after attending at least a gazillion meetings. cause despite the million meetings and conversations i had with clients during my audit days, the fear is still there. 

the other day, i had like an epiphany moment. our social fears are mostly based on what we judge people for and hence, what we think matters to others. i've been trying to put my exact thoughts into words but it doesn't seem to be flowing out right. but here's an easy example.

i have a fear of eating alone. i would rather tapau and eat in front of my computer. if i really had to eat alone, i would need something to read or i would be on my phone. 

and when i see people eating alone, i think to myself "so brave that person eat alone. but so kesian and lonely". so when i eat alone, i always think people would think the same thing about me. like so kesian this girl... 

but i don't think everybody actually have the same thoughts as me. cause my mom doesn't find any problem eating alone at all. in fact, she enjoys it very much as she watches people walk by. 

so coming back to my initial fear of worrying what my clients think about me. no laa, i don't go around thinking people are dumb. i guess i've always been a huge judge of people's character and personality. to the point where i meet a person and i can kinda foresee what they're like and i can totally not talk to them without even getting to know them. i know it's very bad, my mom been telling me off about it, and i'm trying really hard not to judge so fast. i'm usually right though but despite whatever annoying characteristics a person has, i'm trying really hard to still put on a smile and be civil. cause being in a professional environment, i can't go around not talking to people like a 5 year old. soooo yeah, what goes around comes around. i now have a fear that people won't like me. 

but mama always says "knowing your weakness is a strength"

and so i know mine and kinda why i have it. hopefully, i can overcome it one day. 

what's your fear? and does my theory work for you too?