Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at

Teaching.
I wish I was better in teaching. In preparing lessons.
I'm not doing the thing I love honestly.
My heart is not with teaching.. Everyday is like a struggle.
But I'll just try my best...

Wanna buy me a gift?

Today I went out with my best girlfriend cum bride-to-be-in-4-days-time, Miss Mira, accompanying her to buy a shawl to match her wedding veil. So yeah it's my second experience of accompanying a best friend preparing for their wedding day (yeah Nad I'm talking about you, love). You know at moments like this, no matter how suck you are at matching colours and outfits, you just need to be very confident in supporting their decisions. If they look bad in it, tell them. If they look outstanding in it, straightly ask them to buy! LOL. Afterall that's what best friends are for right? To tell the truth even if it hurts. :)

So it made me think earlier today, of the gifts that brides usually get as their wedding gifts from the future husband. I thought of the gifts that I secretly wished my future husband would give to me (Dear future hubby please read this post a few months before we get married so you could prepare LOL). I hope you know that I don't fancy super luxury items, make ups, handbags, skincare products etc.. I just want a ticket to Coldplay's concert. Okay fine, a pair of tickets so we can go together. Even if the concert takes place overseas, we could work out the rest of the expenses for the trip together. You know it could double as a honeymoon trip! I'm more enthusiastic with this idea since you-should-know-by-now how much I love the idea of travelling. And, do you remember that guy on Twitter who curated twt_backpacker for a week - Hafiz Chan, the handsome guy who happens to love travelling AND Coldplay at the same time that he purposely travelled to Munich to see them live in concert? I hoped he was you, but... nevermind. And please... Could you pretend you love the band (if you don't), too?

We shouldn't spend so much money on hantarans (the wedding gifts) or the ceremony itself. We should prioritise our spending. The future is more important than a one-day event, wait it's actually just a 3-4 hour event. I hope we are in this together..

.. FOR A COLDPLAY TRIP YEHAAA!!

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget

I hope I can one day forget AND FORGIVE what this man did and do to us - my mom and sisters.. and our family. No need further explanation cause it still hurts and this is my biggest sadness. 
Root to all of my sadness. 

I'll just stop there.

Movie night out: The Hunger Games

Okay okay so I went to watch Catching Fire with my sister last night. I admit I was a bit skeptical with all these 'teenage' flicks - including The Hunger Games; blame it on The Twilight saga (who's with me, hands up!). Being so critical I am, I still watch all of them episodes nonetheless, sigh.

So I went to watch Catching Fire with my big sis a few days back. Oh yes I insisted she paid for my tix because she happened to have no one to accompany her to the theater. I kinda like it because first; it has Coldplay on its sountrack, second; it actually isn't like the typical it's-only-you-me-and-our-love-story-in-this-world kinda movie (boo Twilight). I like the twist in the story where it involves revolutions of the oppressed, standing up for the truth even if you are the only one doing it, how sick people whom are in possession of power, wealth and status's minds can be, the value of other humans' lives to us, engagement with nature, and of course, a complicated love story.

Here are few reflections I did after watching it:

1. The people in Capitol "enjoy" the Hunger Games as if the lives of the tributes worth nothing to them. It struck me cause I think of my brothers and sisters in Syria, Palestine and other oppressed countries and I did nothing much in helping them. As much as I hated seeing people of the Capitol, I myself is actually like them, we are like them. We watch the news and feel sad about it for 5 minutes and that's it. I feel sick.

2. Katniss stands up saying what she really feels to late Rue's family although she isn't supposed to do so. This was the scene that caught me in tears. Any sign of revolution or going against the authority is strictly forbidden, but she confidently speaks up her mind. I hope I am brave enough like her.

3. Engagement with nature. If I were to be a tribute in The Hunger Games, I know I wouldn't survive. I can't survive in the jungle, I can't tolerate any living creatures anywhere near my body, I don't know secrets to get fresh water - stick the pipe onto the bark of a tree, wait for the water to come out. I did drink once fresh water from a small bark when I went camping last year, but it was the coach that offered it to me. It really gives you a fresh feeling and it tastes very refreshing. This reminds me of my experience drinking fresh water from a creek that flows from the snowy hills in New Zealand. Ah, good times.

Anyway, the movie is not a bad option for your weekend trip to the theaters. You get to do self-reflection, relate how it is to our actual life. Just watch things that lets you expand your minds, not merely watching for entertainment, you'll never get anywhere.

Up, up and away!

I've always loved travelling. After 25 years of life I finally decided to take on a solo trip to see the world. Last night was Airasia's final day of sale so I grabbed myself a ticket to Seoul for November 2014, without an inbound ticket yet. LOL. Why? Because I'm still working out on the route I wanna travel across South Korea plus I'm waiting for the next ticket sale. I might end up in Japan who knows? ;) Still many more moons to decide on that in sha Allah.

I want to do something I love. I don't want Sydney (and New Zealand) to be the only memories that I dwell in always. I know I love travelling, I love seeing the world and I just want to discover myself more by travelling. You know everytime I watch beautiful documentaries of places and cultures in National Geographic or Discover Channel, I am in awe. They fascinate me. 

And mom knew me well. Whenever I wasn't home and she saw something good on TV esp about the beauties of other places, she'll record them for me to watch later. Just the other day, she knows that my current interest is in Iceland, and happened that the Green Trip (about green travelling ie recycle, using organic item) episode for that week was in Iceland. I tell you that documentary makes me fall in love more with Iceland. It's so beautiful and it's very natural. I know I am not the adventurous I-can-sleep-in-the-jungle type but I long to see the nature (minus the worms and all geli-geli stuffs, still can't face that)

Anyway I'd like to promote another series that make me fall hard in love with travelling - Dengan Basikal Aku Menjelajah now showing on TV AlHijrah Sunday 8.30pm. I recommend everyone to watch this, beautiful scenery, great storytelling by Zahariz Khuzaimah. What amazes me more is that he went all alone and recorded all those breathtaking pictures and videos by himself. Check his blog here. 

SubhanAllah, it's awesome.

P/S: The length of the video is a bit too long since it is the actual episode not a trailer and watch the series on HD TV to experience the beauty of the cinematography. 

Bismillah, restarting the race.

Assalamualaikum peeps!

In less than 2 hours I'll be attending my first ever independent usrah. Wah over je. Yeah Alhamdulillah I'll be joining MIZAN's usrah group for the Wangsa Maju area. After a long 11 months of drifting and drifting away... He calls me back to Him. Alhamdulillah.

My previous usrah was with my own cohortmates and my naqibah herself was my best friend. So you get now why I say this is my first independent usrah? I know no one in this group and I have long been an antisocial person i.e I just love to spend time alone (too much). And now, I have to meet new people. I chose this. I chose to meet new people. I chose to get out of my comfort zone. Above all, I just need to do this cause I have been too far away from Him, the One Who loves me. So I must do my best and be istiqamah if Allah wills!

Anyway I have mixed feelings now, happy, nervous and kinda sad cause I miss my little usrah family for the past 2 years, 'AnNur Solehah'. In sha Allah I'm gonna restart the race I've given up before. Another step I take now for my pursuit of happiness, biiznillah.

Milsons Point, Sydney. 2010.

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

I'm passionate about travelling and I have too many places in mind! It's unfair to write about only one place but I'll just pick the country where I'm planning to go in Winter 2014. Still a long way to go, hopefully this backpacking plan will be successful in sha Allah. And the place is....

SOUTH KOREA! 

I must admit that the variety show Running Man influences me a lot to travel up there. 

The places look beautiful in the series and really they make their city looks wonderful. Plus I have been wanting to try Korean food (luckily there are few halal restaurants here in KL but haven't had the chance to go yet). So when a dear friend invited me to go for a backpacking trip there next year, I, without any hesitance said "Yes!". I just need to satisfy my craving and curiosity for Korean food before I go though cause there are not many or none Halal Korean restaurants there.   Please make du'a that everything will turn out fine, amin. If I get to go there, in sha Allah I'll update here.

And yup, I have a folder full with apps to learn Korean on the go on my iPhone. After few attempts to memorize, I ended up remembering only 'annyeong haseyo' (hello) and 'kamsamnida' (thank you). Guess that would do, for 10 days aye? 

Treasure - I feel loved!

I don't often listen to crappy radio stations cause they talk too much, laugh at their own jokes and not to mention those  long and sickening ads. Recently there's one song that makes me look forward to listening to it while I'm driving and that is Treasure by Bruno Mars. The catchy beat really makes you wanna dance and I could feel the stress of driving is lifted up a bit when the song is aired. I just read the lyrics and it makes me fall in love more with the song. He's praising his girl by saying that she's really beautiful, a treasure and a golden star tho she doesn't notice it and that she should let him be a part of  his life. When Mr Bruno makes love songs, you could feel that he's really into it, wish the song was for me! I feel beautiful when listening to it and appreciated especially since I'm having confidence issue so, thanks Bruno Mars!

High blood pressure

Alhamdulillah after 6 good months of staying at home, I am finally being called to serve for the nation as an English teacher. I sincerely hope my new school would assign me to teach only English or minor subjects, not other critical subjects. Apart from that, I am stuck with my medical check-up. Doctor detects that my blood pressure is a bit too high and twice I went to check, it only gets higher. MAy Allah protect me. I need to change my lifestyle now and start exercising. Doc gives me another week to start fitness activities and control what I'm eating and check my blood pressure with her again. Honestly I don't know where to start when it comes to fitness. Doc said I hafta start with light activities like walking cause I'm considered obese and my body can't support my excessive weight. Need your prayers and support, thank you peeps

Quick update

I just started using the Eumora soap as suggested by elder sis. It is used on the face ( though you can actually use it on your whole body - kalau orang kaya la, cuz each bar reaches rm90). I had terrible 'underneath skin' pimple on my cheeks, more worse on the right side. It's really visible and I'm so ashamed! It has been almost 2 years already, happened since I was still in Australia.

So the update. I've used it since last Saturday 12/1. Right after the first few washes I really could feel the skin breathing, literally. I applied mosturizer cause it dries too. Since Tuesday/Wednesday I realized my skin is peeling particularly around the mouth. I realized this could be the effect. Now the peeling is getting more visible around the chin. Checked the website it says this is the symptoms of the 'healing crisis'. I hope this ends soon. :(