AVENE THERMAL SPRING WATER

Tbh, i have lot of work to do atm, so i promise myself that this is going to be one real quick post. 15 minutes break, promise!

So, i went to SASA this evening hoping to only spend about RM30 there but then i splurged up to RM85 on only mascara and this damn spring water. But somehow i didn't regret that much since i really need a brand new 35 bucks mascara for my bestfriend's and my sister's convocation day this coming week. And the other 50 bucks on trio pack (50 ml each) of Avène Thermal Spring Water was kinda worth every penny. It was a buy 2 free 1 deal (it gets me everytime). Actually, i was looking for a makeup finishing / setting spray. Not because i need one. Only cause i want one lol. And i ended up with this spring water because the beauty consultant suggested me so.

I honestly know nothing about spring water or whatever associated with it before. Probably because i don't really need one in the first place. But hey, i guess my skin is thirsty for it ever since today fgs! Wait, what's so special about this water darl? You just bought it and have it with you for about 3 hours are you kidding me that you already make a review about this thing? RM50 for only 3 cans of water in white metallic bottle with spray nozzles. Is it sprinkled with unicorn dust or confetti to make your skin glow? Well, no honey, it's really just water. Haha!

So, after minutes of unnecessary research on Google like of course, where else? It's said that the precious water is from the Cévennes Mountains in Avène, France. I don't even know how to pronounce it correctly since French is not my first language, whatever. It's basically magical water that said will solve a ton of your beauty woes. Well, let's see the magic on me skin later on. It's one of a kind. You can do the reading more by clicking here: Avène Thermal Spring Water. I find it very convenient that i can take it wherever i go inside my handbag because it's travel sized. Beautifully cooling but never too cold. I already sprayed it on my face only a couple of hundred times because that's just me. I get easily obsessed with new things. And hope this one will suit my skin. Better be worth it. Amen to that! Okay back to work fiqazizi.

COST AND WORTH

If you wake up and don't make yourself coffee that you bought at the grocery store earlier this month, then out for work to finally stop at Starbucks and spend RM18 for a cup of coffee, then i guess you know exactly what i mean. Like, isn't it bizarre that people are patiently (or maybe not so) waiting in a over crowded parking lot, spend precious time, to free up so they can walk inside, wait in an even longer line and pay more for a cup of coffee (?) Does it actually worth the exertion? Idk. You tell yourself.

I believe that the only things we spend time and money on are things that we believe are worth more than they cost. But somehow, i kinda feel that sometimes (not really sometimes tbh), we don't buy certain things because of what it's worth or because we really need them. But it's because of our must-have-it-right-now culture that lead to immense anxiety in life. As living proof, there are many who will be jumping at the chance to be the first on their block to have the new iPhone X. Is anyone willing to pay such high price for a mobile phone? You bet. On top of that, for me, it is 100% okay if you have no money issue at all. Because fgs, if you have a lot of money, you can buy anything your heart desires and whatever price is never a problem. But what about those who spend money faster than they make it or even spend money they don't even have for trivial things like an iPhone X while their phones are still functioning well? More often than not, it leads to accruing at least some debt and saving too little for a rainy day. But why do people still do it? Does it really make us happy? Like, really?

I can say that it's actually a psychologically verified thing. Buying things make us visualise ourselves as in a 'better' life. Especially when we dressed nice, surrounded by cool things and looking expensive as a bonus. It actually brings no harm until we recklessly spending for that 'verification' that leads to overspending. Well, i can conclude that binging on things you don't even need in the first place is way worse than food binging at night lol. And sure as for me, i can blame the society and the stores all i want because of this. But in the end, i can only be aware of how my brain is falling for these tricks *insert related emojis*

Last but not least, a note to self as well of course; Don't buy stuff you can't afford, with money you don't have, to impress people that don't even care AT ALL. Act your wage. You shall be fine.

KUALA LUMPUR 2017: RISING TOGETHER

Kuala Lumpur 2017 (read: 29th SEA Games) was my first ever experience of going to the stadium for such event and this memories are some of the best that i ever had. The first step in the stadium was, for me, absolutely amazing and the moment was as good as i ever imagined it would be. The events itself were spectacular and the team did a great job in making the experience particularly special. I mean, it's great to watch and support our SEA Games from television but when you went to Opening Ceremony and the Games, it really hits you that you're actually at the SEA Games. The crowd seems pretty big to me. And needless to mention, all the lighting inside the stadium was grand and glorious. 

Me and my sister were at first only intended to go for the Opening Ceremony but one thing led to another, when the experience was beyond expectation, we decided to go and experience Closing Ceremony at Bukit Jalil National Stadium itself. We both were supposed to be volunteers for the Bowling Games at Sunway Pyramid. Unfortunately, i was sick and diagnosed with dengue on the day we supposed to go for a rehearsal and training at Sunway Pyramid. And this was the reason why we decided to go to Bukit Jalil for the Opening Ceremony. The Closing Ceremony was held on 30th August 2017 which also on the Merdeka Eve. Home advantage, Malaysia set 111 golds as target and accomplished far beyond that. We collected 145 gold medals and total of 323 medals. Wow i really just googled that haha! Obviously Malaysia need to raise our bar high by aiming to win more medals in bigger games like Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games. 

The Closing Ceremony was not as majestic as the Opening Ceremony. But i still enjoyed it till the very last minute. Many Malaysian singers were there singing songs that i know. I've never been to any concert before. This was my very first time. Some of my friends were also there. We were singing like we were the one on stage lol. So much fun it's a crime. However still to me the song choices were not as good because only all Malay songs with no universal appeal and did not highlight the diversity of the nation. I don't think people from other countries including some Malaysians (the Chinese and Indian) actually enjoyed this. And i thought there would be a grand countdown to Merdeka but that was not happening. I mean, we should really considering the Merdeka Eve right instead of just concerts and public holiday announcement. Idk. And i didn't went to any of the games. I was planning to go for the Final Football Game at Shah Alam Stadium. Sadly, there were no online tickets ever sold for the particular game. Just like that, bye bye final football game. Somehow i'm glad i didn't went to the stadium for the match because i was way too emotional watching the game that Thailand ended up winning against Malaysia. Not a good game from the Malaysia team i must say. Just my 2 cents.

Overall it's such a fantastic experience to be at the National Stadium for both ceremonies and there would be this 9th ASEAN Para Games to be held soon. I wonder if i ever have time to watch any Para Games live at the venues. We'll see. Gonna send love and support the disabled as well cause we are in this together. And oh, i really love the theme song for Kuala Lumpur 2017, So Many Hands by Mia Palencia. That song is my kind of song tbh. To the next SEA Games, Manila 2019!

SIMPLE SKINCARE ROUTINE

To be blunt, i don't have superbly good skin because i have like 30 freckles, dark spots on my face and they show no sign of fading. My mom told me not to count them spots or they will breed more in time. Idk. Somehow, the dark spots and freckles multiplies literally once in a blue moon but they're on my face since forever. I don't know if i'll ever stand a chance to get rid of them. However, i am still grateful that i don't have the struggles that others have with their skin.

So over the years, through a lot of trial and error and product hopping, i've discovered some drugstore gems as well as some splurges that are worth my coins. Yes, Eversoft Facial Wash, Safi Rania Gold and the latest one is Snail Moist Mask by Neula. Literally, these are not the only products i ever applied on my skin. But tbh, Eversoft and Safi Rania are two products that i've been using since forever and still have them today. No matter what (gazzilion) products i used now and then, at the end of the day, i will always get myself these two. I don't know if i never had enough patience or what, but no product really worked on me for long. I constantly changing my skincare routine despite of my sensitive skin type. Oh wait! I don't even have any skincare routine actually. I think i was just exaggerating for a moment lol. While in point of fact, i'm that type of person who buy a product (or anything) and only get excited for only like a week or two, and then totally forget about it. I may for a minute be thinking of having a perfect skin and apply things on my face, but on the next day, i'm just, "nah maybe next time". As long as my skin is okay and not too far down the spectrum, then i'll be good.

The first time i applied Safi Rania Gold was during PLKN. PLKN was the most boring period of my life. I dislike it too much to talk about it at all. But i'm not saying that PLKN was not a good program. I mean, of course this program has it pros and cons. It's just that PLKN was not my cup of tea and that is all. Safi Rania Gold was the first ever complete product that i applied on my face literally everyday including the facial wash, day night cream, toner and even the beauty cream. Omg hahaha i suddenly feel funny. Nonetheless, i swear the product work wonders. At least for me. And i've been using Eversoft Facial Wash since high school. I do not have any issues with Eversoft. I really like the formulation and it suits my skin very well. While Snail Moist Mask by Neula was actually kinda new in the market. I don't even know why i buy it in the first place. But instead of using the mask on my face, i decided to put the mask on my legs lol. For my legs, the dryness was the biggest thing. And somehow this mask did great on reverting my dry legs back to its old better self. My legs now are nowhere near as bad as it used to be because of this mask. Thank you Neula!

I rarely get pimples but when i do, they seem to last for weeks. Blergh! But i never believe in slathering a lot of creams on face, exfoliating like crazy, going under the knife, taking daily or weekly injections for a good and better skin. For me, not drinking enough water and not washing face religiously are the key to the pimples and any skin problems. My skin is a living proof for that. However, i did not object the idea of skincare and supplements for better skin. It's just that most of them are so life challenging that i feel like the need to keep spending $100 a month on it is too much. Did i just sound like a cheapskate? Whatever. I hope i will never head down a skincare rabbit hole that would lead me to spend a big chunk of change. Amen to that!

P/S: The photo of me up there was just for symbolism of great graphic. Lol. Just kidding. Or maybe not.

SOCIAL NETWORK: TWITTER

I signed up with Twitter since February 2010 (it's written on the bio when i viewed via web). Back then Twitter was just a dwarf social media site, barely on the radar and only used for people to express their unspeakable thoughts and that's it. I infrequently signed into Twitter too back then. Nonetheless, after the existence of smartphones and unlimited internet plans, i can claim that most people especially fellow millennials do have an active Twitter account. I love Twitter for the reason that we can able to get to know so many real people. Unlike Facebook, Instagram, people are more likely to be themselves on Twitter. It's an easy place to share ideas and access the news. Fastest place to get our word out there. I think of Twitter as the introverts' cocktail party cause we can see those who rarely speak irl finally speak their heart out. It's very fun actually.

However, i find that the fun is no longer there once it has grown so much. Everybody nowadays is on Twitter and screaming their lungs out about literally everything. TMI! Twitter is becoming a place for people to talk (bad) about the whole thing, place to underestimate and make fun of other people, complaining and all that doesn't give any positive energy. NOT ENTIRELY BUT MOSTLY. I hate when i'm scrolling to read some encouraging (or funny) cites or news about the world, news about my friends but then i saw unfavourable tweets. I swear people on Twitter play too much that even some of them make fun of serious people like, we can't even be serious on Twitter are you kidding me (?) People are also exasperating, tweeting crap only for attention and RTs. I swear gossips and rumours on Twitter spread faster than wildfire. Like, the incident only happened about 5 minutes ago, but it's already #1 trending on Twitter. Imagine how fast is that!

Well, frankly, it's not Twitter to be blamed because negativity exists in every single social network. It's the people. It's a shame to see how we are so into the negative things. Make fun and being mean on literally everything without filters, criticizing physical appearance, sending hates while hiding behind the screen, etc. It's sickening. I'm aware that social media is a place for us to have fun but i can't afford too much fun in my body. It makes me dizzy. And i know that everyone has their own opinions about social media and stuff. You can call me lame but i'm still with my opinions. *Brb listening to Heal The World by MJ*

P/S: I actually kinda addicted to social media specifically Instagram and Twitter. I spend unhealthy amount of time on social media especially during my free time. I read Twitter in the morning like it's a newspaper (the reason why i continually logged out from it). I also can be so negative sometimes (i take the blame for that). But whatever it is, always choose to only focus on the good.

MASTER'S DEGREE: FIRST SEMESTER DONE

I am currently on my semester break until early of September. I always love the feeling of just staying at home and go out only to eat and chill with nothing on mind. Gonna enjoy it while i can and pray it will last long though i know that 1 month is really not that long.  

I'm literally done with my first semester. Alhamdulillah so far so good. I hope the upcoming exam results will also be good as well. Amen to that. So factually, master's degree subjects are actually not that hard compared to bachelor's degree. They're about the same. Only most of the subjects for master's degree are in advanced mode. Let say if during bachelor's degree we took Inferential Statistics subject, while during master's degree, we will be studying the Advance Inferential Statistics and sorta (which is sick lol). It will be a bit easy if we are taking the same course as for me, i took Degree in Statistics and Master in Applied Statistics. Which both are in the same line. However, the pressure of doing master's degree is way different compared to bachelor's degree. Some people give up very easily and decided to find another job instead of finishing the studies. Probably because they're not too keen in it. And maybe because of the never ending assignments, projects for individuals, grouping projects and all. The Final Year Project that i did during the bachelor's degree is the weekly project that need to be done during master's degree. Sick. But not that sick. Still endurable to me and should be endurable to all as well. Thank god for my poker face. Even when the subjects are killing me to death, i still manage to remain calm on the outside. Perchance because i was never really good (but never really bad) at studies. Haha. And i am actually a (very) heavy sleeper. Sleep is in point of fact; my passion and i enjoy every second of it. I rarely stay up at night until whatever AM in the morning. I sleep very early even when all of my friends are staying up to study this that. But ever since i sign up with master's degree, i did burn the midnight oil. Lol. I take it as a self development and let's pray for better semesters ahead. Amen!

Some of my friends did approached me and asked me on how was master's degree, should they pursue with master's degree or should they just get a job and settle down instead etc. I never really had a solid answer for all the questions because to be honest, i don't even know what's best. But one thing i'm so sure is, we just do what we want to do. If your heart tells you to get a job but you pursue with master's degree, you might end up quitting too soon right after the first pressure hits and vice versa. It's not that i'm not willing to share my opinion, i mean, it's good to ask for opinions. I do it all the time. But the heart always knows what it wants. You can't come to people and take their advice 100% without considering yourself first. This also applies to everything. If you want something to be done, just do it. Make your own decision and do it yourself. Even Moana (Disney's Movie) restores the heart of Te Fiti by herself. Though in the beginning, it's Maui who supposed to restore the heart while Moana is chosen by the ocean to only deliver Maui to Te Fiti. Which means, in the end, you only have yourself. Just do what your heart desires. Those who mind don't matter and those who matter, don't mind. Okay?

Anyway, above photos are photos i took while i was on the rooftop of Engineering Faculty at UiTM Shah Alam with my sister. The view was breathtaking. I might be going up there again someday during night time while i can.

SHOOTING STAR JUST PASSING BY

I was browsing about my case study, my brain went completely blank and suddenly have a thought of my full-of-spider-web blog. And so here i am. It's been a while as always. I swear thousand words will be spilled here if i ever have time to write. I don't even blog about my so far so good life (alhamdulillah), my internship, my part time job, my master studies and whatnots yet. But someday i might will. And here, my all time favorite song, Colours Of The Wind by Pocahontas. My favorite line is,"How high does the sycamore grow? If you cut it down, then you'll never know". That line always inspire me to never cut myself down. Love it.