#QOTD

Fashionista?

I often got comments like "Where did you buy your tops? Your pants? Your bags? I love your shoes/sandals, where did you get it from? And your scarves?". I don't think myself as a fashionista AT ALL, because I choose to shop based on what my eyes love to see and what comforts me. For outfit, I really believe in "love at first sight". Yup, there, I have said it. Ahh!

I noticed that most women (based on my observations), they will go from rack to rack, see it and touch it from up-close and will try everything, like hugging so many things, so many different fabrics and colours and things to try in the fitting room.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the parallel universe, I will walk through from the main isle (note that main isle means that the isle that connected from the entrance to the back of the retail store). I am the type of woman who knows what I want, so when it comes to shop, I know what I am looking for, so I will scan through everything in the store while spotting the exact colour or design that I have in my head. Let's say that I am eyeing for white tunic top, so from the entrance, I will walk on the main isle and scan everything from afar just to spot any white tunic top. If I see that it is white but maybe it is a tank top, then I will not go to the rack and stop. Same goes if I saw any tunic top but it isn't in white colour, then I shall proceed on walking down the isle to the back of the store.

I will never go rack to rack, because I will end up buying things that I do not need. That is when my heart taking over my bright, bright brain. LOL.

ONLY IF I have found the white tunic top, for example, then I will stop at the designated rack and pick up the same tops but in different sizes. Sometimes, the top will not look good if it is too big or too small, hence, I will take sizes range from size 2 to 6. Be reminded that all three sizes are the same white tunic top that I have an eye for.

I will take them to the fitting room to try the top, which size I fit the most or, look best. After tried all three, I pick the best size, and proceed to the cashier for payment. THAT IS ALL.

Women, know what you want before you enter the store. No such thing as window shopping. Either you shop or you don't. Feel free to do it if you are alone. But if you are bringing someone with you, for example, your spouse or partner or SO, please don't make their life miserable to follow you around racks by racks or make them waiting for you. You do not want to wait for them for something, so do not make others to wait for you. Well yeah, there you go. Guys, you are welcome. LOL!

Oh speaking of which, my readers asked me to list down my favourite stores or my usual spot to shop. Hmm, I don't think I have favourite for certain things but I can list down the stores that have been selling some pretty stuff and I immediately fall in love for.

Those are;

Massimo Dutti

- Major love for their winter boots, winter coats, flats, sandals, cardigans and pants

H&M

- Basically for everything because it is so affordable

Zara

- The tops, OMG. And the printed pants. You can get so many pretty work attires here

Topshop

- The swimwear, tops, jeggings

Mango

- Tops, of course!

Bershka

- Flare pants, tops, jeans, scarves, flats

Stradivarius

- Tops and flats

Warehouse

- Floral-ly tops, dress

Miss Selfridge

- Pants, dress

Online shopping

- I am not a fan of online shopping, but I only do so if the things does not require for me to try it. For example, accessories. Other than that, I don't like the fact that if I was so happy to get the package when it arrived but once I got it, it doesn't fit me because I don't try it (oh, I cannot because its online, how can I try it?). Then I have to send it back and wait for another day or two to get the perfect one. Nah, too tedious for me. For online shopping, I usually buy stuff like, scarves, and, scarves. LOL! Oh and bags too, sometimes. It depends.

There you go. I do not own any expensive brands, please. It doesn't matter what brands are you wearing, as long as you wear it with confidence and a smile on your face, then anything you wear will look expensive and impressive. Confidence is the key, love.

Malina A, x

Happiness Pt. II

I have read several articles on the internet regarding the happiness that everybody in this world is looking for. Most of people, especially the one who thinks that happiness are the things that they have or want to have, in terms of materialism, are genuinely the one that is the most unhappy ones.

Personally, I think I have grown big enough to realize that materialisms are not the "definition" of happiness because happiness is intangible. You cannot touch it physically or view it as a tangible item. It is more than that. It is beyond that. It is actually your mind, thoughts & ideas about things around you; on how you view or see things. Do you see it as what it is or do you define it based on what you know or what have you been through that can tell a story behind the thing that you view.

I think I just make it worst by saying it in difficult term or sentences but here are some tips on personal experiences that have helped me to find happiness and contentment that I would like to share with you readers. These are not some tips for a happier life, but it is just some guides for you to have ideas on what happiness is all about. You may not have realized that happiness has been hugging you tightly all these while but hopefully after reading this, it will somehow be an epiphany for you. Who knows. I am praying for that.

REDUCE SOME OF YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

Sometimes, as we grow older, we tend to take on too many things and trying so hard to juggle jobs and responsibilities all at once and inconspicuously feel obligated to do them all rather than doing it for the sake of your happiness. This can cause us to feel overwhelmed and not get anything done at all. Unless we are used to dealing with a lot of responsibilities, then it is best that we start with what we can handle first. Hence, know how to prioritize things. Identify all the things you feel responsible for and which of those things you could eliminate right away. The less you have to do, the more you will actually get things done. 

I was a final year student last two years and I was struggling with my final year projects and was trying to cope taking many courses and family and I was managing projects at home, so it was a bit tough for me to juggle all that. What I did was I dropped a few subjects taken in that trimester and I got helped from my friends to accompany me for appointments with contractors for my house project so that I won't be overwhelmed by having to deal with it alone. At the end of the day, it is not about the result but how well you have mastered on what you learn and what you get if you can focus on things that matter the most at the time.

TAKE ALL THE TIME YOU NEED TO DO THE THINGS THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY & CREATE A ROUTINE THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY

Unless you are a robot and you have discipline yourself to be like one, then you should spend some time to enjoy and seize each day. Set a time slot each day either at the beginning or the end of the day to do something that brings you fulfilment or contentment. Try to finish of your top five daily to-do-list and make time for the things that you want to do after you finished doing those. Like, go to the cinema after stressing out planning the proposal at work, or have an ice cream, or maybe take a walk at the park. Little thing that you have been wanted to do. Go and spend time to do it. We only have 24 hours a day, so go do it. Those littlest things that matter.

The key for being happier is consistently improving the level of your happiness you experience over time. Hence, you need a morning and night routine. The morning routine preps you for the day. It could be something as small as thinking of three things you are grateful for to talking to your loved ones. The night routine, you could read your favourite book, spend time with your friends and family, or you could watch your favourite TV series or movie so that you will feel motivated to wake up for the next day. Routines are an essential part of developing happiness over a period of time. As time goes on, you may find new activities to integrate into these routines but as long as you have a routine that brings you some level of happiness or satisfaction to your life, you will be more mindful of the things you could do when the negativities are eating you or something.

Before I go to bed, I will make sure that my daily organizer is filled with to-do-list on what I will be doing the next day. For example, 9am, chores - vacuum and mop the floor in the living room. 12 noon, lunch. 4pm, wash the cars. And ticked off or strikethrough the to-do-list after I have done it is basically the highlight of my day! Major love it if I have completed the things that I need to do on that day. I also will make sure that I will have free time to do the things I love or I usually put it as "quality time" in the organizer. Normally, I will watch TV during lunch if I am at home, or maybe some workout time early in the morning or evening, read a novel before bed, watch a rom-com or my fav TV series on Netflix and of course, planning on what to do the next day. Make your day counts.

CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT & SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Sometimes we cannot help it but to be stuck in a certain specific way and place with specific people. Make it a goal to change your environment when possible. For example, if you find it hard to focus or be happy when you are home, you could potentially find a cafe or library or maybe friend's place where you could get your work done at. Away from these distractions or negativity. The key is identifying how your environment is shaping your happiness and doing what you can to change it. You have the power to change it. Move, travel, make it a goal to have your own place if necessary and work hard to get the finances to make that happen.

Just like your environment, you want to be mindful of the influences the type of people you surround yourself with. Are they inspiring you and making you want to be a better person, or are the negative vibes with complains and whines dragging you down as well? To be honest, I had friends who dragged me down to the black hole of bad vibes. Sometimes I got influenced too, depends on the level of madness or "bad" stuff happening around me at that time. But as time goes by, as I grew older, I managed to differentiate between the good and the bad, the do's and the don'ts, what's right and what's wrong. I finally have the guts to say "no", I learned that it is okay not to say "yes" to everything.

Honestly, I have bad relationships with some friends and I learned that it is total normal for us to grow apart from each other. Not everybody can make it to our future. Not everybody understands what you are going through and you do not need everybody or anybody to understand that. So if somebody tries to bring you down, you kick them off the curb and just walk away. Not literally, but you know what I mean. I tend to avoid dramas and gossips. So whenever someone starts to talk bad or spreading negative vibes around me, I will choose to stay away from that person. It is just not healthy for my mind, body and soul. I go out more often, attend events here and there to meet new people and find the right vibe for myself. If that group makes me want to be better version of myself and want to hustle to improve in terms of myself and my life, then I know that I belong to the right group. Positive ones.

FIND SOMEONE TO LOVE (OR SPREAD THE LOVE IN YOU)

Well I read in an article, telling people to find someone to love to be happy, I could not agree more. I am a Cancerian, and if you ask me about love and love a person, well, I am an expert (except for the fact that I love someone too much and I can get a little too emotional at times but that is just how Cancerians are). Certainly it is important to love yourself, but even more important when you can find someone to love. When you can appreciate others more than you can appreciate yourself, theres is a different level of happiness you experience.

Let people know that they are loved by you. Show that you care and show some appreciations of their existence in your life. Small gestures like, "How are you? It has been awhile!" text to my friends and "I love you, goodnight x" text to my family before bed and maybe some straight forward text like "I am so lucky to have you in my life. Thank you for being there for me" text to anybody that you would like them to know about. If you want to go bigger than just a text, maybe you could give them a call, ask them out, take them out for lunch or dinner or for a road trip if you could. 

BE GRATEFUL WITH WHO YOU ARE & WHAT YOU HAVE

I am what I am but I can always improve to be a better version of myself. I have what I have at the moment but I can always aim and achieve more to have more things in life. To be grateful with who you are or what you have is not promoting you to be complacent at what or where you are in life. You still have to struggle and keep moving to go forward. But being grateful here is that, take time to appreciate with who you are and what you have right now. Just sit, maybe at the corner of your room, just breathe in and breathe out and think of how far you have made to be where you are right now. Appreciate and make peace with the past and learn from your past mistakes and do your best to improve to gain more experiences in life. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but, trust me honey, you are almost there. Nothing can stop you from growing and learning and just to be happy.

Pray to God. Just pray. Give thanks to God. He is the reason I am here today, writing this blog about happiness. Put your faith in Him. If you still cannot find the happiness you have been yearning of all these while, ask from Him and who knows, maybe He will lead you the way and before you know, He will show you that the happiness is within you all these while and all you have to do is just ask from Him. He is your Creator.

Malina A, x

Happiness Pt. I

"Acknowledge that happiness is not quantified by materialism. Appreciate what you have, gaining more won’t make you happy if you aren’t happy with what you already have. Live in the moment. Give more than you receive, be it your time, money, gifts, love and laughs. When you give someone your best, the best comes out of you. Stop worrying about your future! Your future is going to happen, it is yours to happen to. If you want something then work toward it, but make sure you are happy on the way there. We are all going to die, so concentrate on living. Don’t practice escapism because you are unhappy with your reality, be real, keep level headed and make sense of your life. Life is better when you are laughing, so laugh as much as you breathe. Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate. Travel, do something that you love, be around genuine people and find new ways to love your life again and again."

Malina A, x

Lizards.

Yup, the title for this blog post is "Lizards". It may sounds disgusting or maybe you guys think that it is my current favorite animal to be as my pet; well you are wrong. Never, in a million years I would want reptiles or amphibians to be as a pet. Just, NOPE.

If you really know me, which I think only my family knows about this since I live with them for almost twenty six years now, the one and only animal I loathe the most is, yes, lizards. I can stand cockroaches, spiders or any bugs you name it (well, except for flies and mosquitoes because they are so annoying), but not lizards. I am talking about common "creatures" where you could find in your very own four walls.

I do not know why or how or what on Earth that my life has to be encountered or bumped into with lizards. I will list it down below on the worst case scenarios (ever!) of me vs lizards. T_T"

IN PUBLIC PLACES

I was with a friend of mine at one of my usual hangout places; Rasta TTDI. For those who doesn't know Rasta, it is like a foodcourt, a huge one, you can choose either you want to have your meal under the roof, which is like twenty to twenty five feet tall (yes, very high ceiling) or you may want to sit at the center of the foodcourt seatings which is outdoor. And I chose to sit in-between the outdoor one and under the high-ceiling roof.

The waiter came with a menu and I just felt like there is something on top of my head, it is not a dust obviously because it has weight in it. So I asked my friend while he was busy studying the menu, "Hey, umm, what's... on... my... head?" as I cover my forehead with both of my hands. The waiter heard my question and he stand back with a pen and paper cover his mouth. My friend replies with, "Sit still, very still. It is... uh... a... lizard." I went "AHHHHHHHHH!" while brushing the lizard off my head with my hands and everybody was staring at me. The lizard fell on the ground and ran away before I decided to step on it or something. So yeah. That was so embarrassing that people had to see that. Of course my face has turned red for a decade and I wanted to leave but my friend wanted to have a meal there so I had to focus on getting my skin colour back for like, forever.

AT SCHOOL

I was walking to class, I think it was my evening class and I barely see people in my faculty. It was dark and I walked alone and I almost reached the door to my lab class. As I was about to open the door, there is a "plop" sound, like something fell on my MacBook that I was holding onto my chest because I can feel the vibration of something fell on my laptop. I looked down to my MacBook, trying to process what I was seeing at that time since it was very dark. My laptop was silver in colour and there is like a black figure lying on it, I thought it was a shadow but it turned out to be a lizard. It was not fun at all especially when you are half way of opening the damn door. I kept calm, removed the lizard by throwing it and shaking the MacBook and entered the class, gracefully.

AT HOME

I don't know about you but I think everybody has encountered with lizards at home once or twice, right? Am I right or am I right? LOL! Well, let's see. My loathness towards lizards has becoming stronger each and every day that I must spray the lizard repellent at least once a week around my house and also the gazebo at my backyard just to ensure that those lizards won't come back and make a scene.

But unfortunately they have backups everywhere, so I still have to be cautious no matter how cozy I get when I'm home. It happened last week, oh wait, I had to deal with them twice last week! First one, I was happily watering my plant in my backyard and suddenly, yup, a lizard fell on top of my head. Again. Why my head?! Is there some sort of lizard-code that you guys go with "when you see Malina's head, that is when you jump, that is our spot to land safely" kind of thing?! Again, of course I screamed and water my head as well to make the lizard go away. Oh and this is not the house-brown-lizard. This is like chameleon? But not the slow kind of chameleon, this is the one that can run at the surface of the water kind of thing? I think. Because it runs so fast, I can't even get the chance to chase after it. LOL!

The second one, I was happily sipping my evening tea at the gazebo with my family, and something fell on top of my upper lip. I went, "Eww, what the hell?!" and wiped my lips off for so many freaking times. It was, lizard's poo. Yup, my life sucks. You do not want to know how I dealt with that one. Move along.

Third one, happened yesterday. Ehem. I had to go out to pick up my mom from work in the evening. So as usual, I opened the main door to the car porch and got outside, and about to wear my flipflop and that is when the lizard planned on crossing the porch through my flipflop. Like, what the hell? Out of all places at home and out of all times, that is your perfect timing to go?! Luckily I do not step on the lizard as I was about to wear that damn flipflop because it was fast enough to run away but I still can feel the texture of that damn little thing. Eww.

There are many other encounters with lizards actually but I only have the time to write the top 5 so there you go. I think its either the lizards love me or loathe me too. Well, what I know is that, I loathe you even more. You are the most disgusting creature ever. Like seriously. Look at your little fingers. Err, I feel like throwing up. *green face sick emoji*

Malina A, x

Withdrawals

I am sitting here at my kitchen island while listening to Beirut's album on Spotify (speaking of which, I just successfully installed it like three days back and boy, I am so happy that my MacBook is finally working! Yay!)

And also, speaking of Beirut, I am totally in love with their album "No No No" and also the previous album is just as awesome as the latest one. Oh, cheers to The Chainsmokers too! Major love their singles like; Roses, New York City, Don't Let Me Down, Until You Were Gone and so on. Phew. And if you check out my Instagram account, I made Roses piano cover and The Chainsmokers liked that cover video! Ahhhhh! Yes, of course I am beyond ecstatic! LOL!

As you noticed, this blog post called "Withdrawals" well, mainly because of so many stuff going on in my life right now, both good and bad and surprisingly I need to detoxify myself from both good and bad ones!

Adventures/vacations/trips are over (for now). I went back to Doha to spend time with my family for like, three months and whole two weeks in London & Paris. I had a tremendous time, not to mention, the weather. Oh my word, I love the weather so much. It was between 0 to 7 degree Celsius, makes it impossible to sweat. We went to so many places and I'll explain in great details in the next blog post (hopefully) and yeah, that was about it.

Another thing is that, my graduation status. Man. I mean, I am officially graduated as a student of Bachelor Degree in Information Technology majoring in Multimedia Systems but, yeah. No official graduation ceremony aka "convocation" since my university's annual convo day is held on September or October every year, so I had to wait for like a year and a half for the next convocation. Such a bummer. But, at least, I graduated. Hooray, I guess?

So I am currently unemployed, sitting at home, not like I am not doing anything, in fact I have done a lot of stuff since I came back like a week ago, and I am currently working on some projects. Projects. Yup, I have three projects. Two are involving my home, need to help dad to work on the interior part of the house. I am in charge of that one, and another one is involving my skills. Skills in... Well, you do not want to know. LOL!

On a related note, the company I have been dreaming to work for wanted me to work with them as a journalist. Photojournalist to be exact. OH BOY, I AM SO EXCITED! But, unfortunately, I had to turn down the sweet sweet offer, since I have already planned to travel. Now I am back, so I want to give it a try, just to try my luck to pursue my dream to be a photojournalist. Also I need to brush up my skills first... since I have not been writing stuff on this blog and my brain is quite rusty right now. I, sometimes, do not know what to think of but I always wanted to write something! I need to read more. I have been somewhere at least, so I think I should be able to get inspired to blog more after this. Oh please dear God.

I am not a daily blogger but I want to write a blog post at least once a week, just to see whether I am suitable to be a photojournalist. I just want to get inspired!

Love, M