iflix - personal review

In case you people in Malaysia has been living under a rock or in a cave, I'm sure you know we now have iflix, To me its a malaysian version of netflix.

Basically its an online portal where you get to watch tv shows, movies, documentaries etc. Its like Astro minus the annoying advertisement. Besides the fact that its is ads free, newly registered unifi user enjoys free iflix access for 12 months.

So, that is how i've been spending my free time. watching so much tv shows and old movies. My current addiction is Victoria (i purposely leave 2 more episodes until the 2nd season starts) and 2 broke girls. This is a comedy and quite entertaining. I'm rooting for the girls to finally be successful.

I just started watching Scandal and finally be able to catch up with Castle. I am eagerly waiting for the new season for Grimm. I tried watching the Witches of East Side but the script is so frustrating that I gave up after the 4th episode.

As for the collections of movies, there were a lot of movies but pretty old. Hope that iflix could update their movies collection soon.

Welcoming 2017

Its December. Almost the end of 2016. I must say that 2016 has been a bitter sweet year for me.

Currently I'm working in a new place. Moved to a new town. Have a new boss, new colleagues, new challenges. Its an adventure. I am learning a lot. Adapting to new setting. Adapting well at the moment. Its been almost 3 months. Initially, it was a huge challenge. A total change of pace. But, I've done it before so, it was not too alien for me.

I'm welcoming 2017. I foresee it to be bumpy. I need to make a plan to smoothen it a bit. M thinking of travelling. A short getaway. Thinking of UK, Europe and even Asia countries.

I have a lot of time on my hand this coming week at home. Perhaps I'm gonna cook a plan for a quick adventure. But nowadays, when I'm at home, I'd be spending time binge watching Iflix. Current favourite, Victoria.

Till next time.

Waiting is Stressful

I have exactly 9 more working days in DB. Last week i get to clean up my drawers. Organized a lil bit so that the transition would be smoother.

Still waiting for my boss to return. Hate that he is away when I feel like I have so much on my plate right now. The fact is that, I do not have much to do so I end up overthinking every single thing. Its driving me crazy.

I need to focus on something else other than my last days in DB. I need a project. So... my bf birthday is coming up. Its next week actually. I'm pretty sad that I can't make a huge fuss out of it coz I'm saving my money for a new place.

The whole situation just stress me out and making me sad. But I still want to make it special for him. I'm not sure how yet. I could postpone the celebration but it wouldn't feel nice not to do anything on his birthday. I think on the day of his birthday we are going to have a simple dinner and simple gift. The actual gift will just have to wait for awhile. It pains me even to type this out.

Writing in this blog is not helping... So, might as well stop for now.

Bye

To Buy For New House

Signed Gamuda's offer 2 weeks ago. Nervous and excited all at the same time. Found a place, a studio apartment. Would be easy enough to manage on my own. near my office. the unit is fully furnished except for the kitchen and there's no tv. i dont watch tv so thats the least of my worry. i cook a lot so i need to figure out the kitchen 1st.

1. stove <400
2. rice cooker <100
3. pots and pans <300
4. dishes and glasses <100
5. ration <100 per week

To Do September

I can foresee that September will fly by so quickly and I have to have a structured plan so that I do not miss out anything.

My mind is a bit scattered thinking of the list of things to do. Office work has been a challenge as well.

Lets compartmentalize everything.

1. Gamuda's offer is coming.
2. Need to figure out new house that would include budget etc
3. After budget is figured out, need to find a place.
4. need to pack and clean up at office
5. need to do handover
6. need to.pack.up at home
7. need to prepare deposit for rental
8. his bday coming up. presents n surprise
9. to list down things to buy for new place
10. to be grateful for the oppurtunity

Intrinsic Value

Today I came across a video by Xandra Ooi. I know her from tv shows I watched when I'm growing up. I do not watch much TVs nowadays.

Anyway, it seems that Xandra Ooi is a motivational speaker now. I'm just getting familiarize with her videos today. So the topic of her video which I watched today revolves around the value of things we choose in life. How much something worth in our life and what is our consideration we take into account when choosing them.

She said that we have the power to choose things that we want in life. For example, the food that we want to eat, clothes we buy, our partner and friends as well as our work. Most of the time, we tend to choose all these things based on their value. Whether they are the most expensive one you could afford. Whether they are from a known brand etc etc. Whether that other half has a stable income or whether he shares your value.

Xandra said that most of the time we tend to ignore what we really want. Which one makes us so happy inside. When we focus on the quality of the things that make us happy, then we are actually looking at the intrinsic value of the things.We spend so much energy focusing on the face value that we forgot to satisfy our inner need by choosing what truly make us happy.

I tend to agree with Xandra. Basically she is teaching people to be happy. To be happy you need to do and focus on the things that make you happy. You have to choose to be happy. Happiness is a choice we need to make everyday. If your job sucks but you are paid a lot of money to do it, will you continue doing it? I won't.

I am the type of person who only do things that would make me truly happy despite the fact that it might not be acceptable by everyone else. Most of my choices are unconventional. Don't get me wrong tho. I have nothing against mainstream just as long as they make me happy, I'm down!

The thought of starting work in a new place and a new boss can be pretty daunting. But learning new things, being at a new place, making new friends are such an adventure for me. Since I got back from Europe, I feel like I am addicted to adventure. I think the best experience comes from activities that make you feel scared, nervous and uncomfortable at the first place and then relief, grateful and so happy  in  the end.

Carpe diam!

Grateful

Its been awhile since I wrote down all the things I'm grateful for so here goes.

I am so happy and grateful that I get to go to UK and Europe last July. The whole experience was like a dream to me. UK was so beautiful in summer. Things are cheap. Food are easy to get. London was mesmerizing. Stratford and Warwick were so enchanting. I could stay there forever. It really make sense why the best universities are in UK. The surrounding are so peaceful. The parks, the river and ponds. The scenery just etched in my mind.

I am happy and grateful that I get to visit Europe. The journey from London to Europe was such an adventure that we will never forget. I think I had the most fun in Belgium. Waffles and chocolates and historical sites. We enjoyed it so much.

I am so happy and grateful to arrive in Paris as scheduled. We had time to shop and just experience the whole of Paris. Took canal cruise and see the beautiful Eiffel tower at night.Paris is beautiful and unique and I was glad to experience it with my family. I am happy and grateful that we met many kind souls who helped us along the way. We are grateful that Allah protects our journey and blessed us along the way. Most taxi drivers we met in Europe were Muslims. They were friendly and kind. May Allah gives them flourishing business and ease their troubles in this world and the Hereafter.

I am happy and grateful that the flight back was uneventful. I am glad that I get to rest for a few days before going back to work. I am so happy and grateful that I have such an understanding boss and colleague.

I am so happy and grateful that I am planning the next trip to go to Europe again sometime next year, Though it will be a shorter trip but I will make sure that we get to see and experience as much as possible. It will be another memorable one.

I am happy for the opportunity. I am happy for the blessings bestowed upon me. I am happy, so happy with my life.

Alhamdulillah. All praises to Allah

It Seems Like A Dream

Kept reminiscing our time in Europe and UK. The journey was of course tiring. But the whole process was such a challenge. An adventure which I am willing to repeat.

Thinking of the calm and cool atmosphere around Northampton, Stratford as well as Warwick, made me wants to migrate to UK. Remembering all the cool buildings and unique food and culture in Europe, makes me wanting to explore Europe even more.

So, I am preparing mentally, physically as well as financially to go to Europe again. Next time I'm going there, I would like to immerse my self in the culture and the whole atmosphere of the country.

Since we didn't get to see Amsterdam as we planned, Amsterdam is on top of the list as well as Italy and Swiss countries.

UK & Europe Summer Retreat.

So much to share but I do not have the mood to write yet. Perhaps I could share some of the photos we took and I'm gonna write about my experience there.

In short, it had an awesome experience and would love to repeat it again next year. We flew with Etihad from KLIA to Abu Dhabi. Had a 3 hour transit before flying to Heathrow London. We spent 5 days in London before going to Europe. Our first stop was Amsterdam. From Amsterdam we took a train to Brussels. We went to Bruges also in Belgium before spending 2 nights in Paris. We flew back to Malaysia from Paris.

Ramadhan Once Again

I know its been awhile but its not to late to wish Ramadhan Kareem to all Muslims who are reading my blogs. (who reads my blog anyway? Can you guys leave a comment. Thanks)

This is the first year I am fasting in Putrajaya. My new home. I can't remember if I have mentioned about this. I moved like 3 months ago. Currently living with my best friend since uni days. It has been sort of OK. She is busy all the time these days and I am the type of person who keep to my self most of the time so yeah, we are cool. I just feels like this fasting month will make our bond stronger. We don't spend as much time together as we like to but now its fasting month, we get to sahoor together, breakfast together and go for taraweeh together. I am savouring each moment we spent together coz this might not repeat itself again next year. Wallahualam

Work has been slow. Whenever there are work to be done, it is done super fast and I end up with a lot of free time on my hand. So for the past few days since Ramadhan starts, I have been googling and watching recipes video. Ramadhan is the month when I experiment with new recipes. I hardly goes to the bazzaar to buy my food as they are always packed and things are just expensive nowadays. Plus, the hygiene in these bazaar are questionable. You can easily get food poisoning from the food you bought.

When you prepare your own food, you get to see what you put in, the freshness of your ingredients, how you cook them etc. Since I intend to lose a bit of weight, I have been trying to eat clean from day 1 of Ramadhan. Sahoor for the past few days is the same, overnite oats made with oats, dried fruits, chia seeds and strawberry milk. They are easy to make and even if you wake up 10 minutes before adzhan, you could still have a filling food in your tummy with zero effort.

The first day of fasting I made chicken soup oats porridge for iftar. I normally would do it with rice, but I just substitute rice with oats. Thats all. I ate it till the next day. It didnt go bad and I made quiet a lot that day. It taste well and I could definitely recycle that recipe.

The 2nd day, i was craving something fried and oily. So I made anchovies fritters. They were yummy. I just eat that and my overnite oats. Simple and cheap.

So yesterday was the 3rd day of fasting. I am on a tight budget so I try my best to work with what I already have at home. I remembered that we bought this vermicelli/beehoon 3 months ago and we have yet to do anything with it so I learned how to make beehoon singapore. It is super easy and yummy. I ate a plate and my housemate ate the rest. She just love it so much.

Just writing down what has been happening in my life these days so that one day I could open this up and reminiscence a bit.

May Ends

What happened in May? What happened in April and March? Why there were  no posts??

Feeling uninspired for some reason. Feel as if this year is flying by so fast. My schedules are always full. My head is sometimes serabut. In point form, these are the things in my head that keeps me busy nowadays:-

• Looking forward to Puasa.
• Have to be frugal so that I have more than enugh money in July
• Not looking forward to Raya
• No raya preparation, yeay!
• Nervously waiting for our Europe trip.
• Looking forward to relaxing after Europe trip.
• Need to service my car
• Need to renew passport
• Need to lose a bit of weight. Today pergi gym
• Why is there so many bad people in this world? (My thoughts most of the time when I scroll my FB timeline)

The good thing is I feel happy .Thats what matter most.

Adios

To Do To Do

Passport renewal
A dress for Wedding reception on 6 March
Save more money for an island gateway - Properly plan and budgeted holiday
Make my self comfortable in my new house - get 1 or 2 bean bags. furniture. figure out wifi options. figure out the kitchen etc. Go to ikea. Do up the house so you get comfortable. Have a corner where I can laze around reading or playing COC

To Do

Passport is expiring. Buat 2 years ago, pergi Singapore je. What a waste.

How its time to renew. Waiting kat UTC tu la perkara paling melemahkan jiwa raga. Hopefully this time around, waiting won't be a dull affair anymore.

Diet Plan - Postponed!

No. Can't do it. I need a kitchen to carry out this diet.

Last night I was feeling awful about something and end up eating spicy potato chips with nutella. Not Paleo. Not healthy.

Today my body is all sore due to Tuesday's gym session. So, today I'm gonna hit the gym again. If I can't be consistent in my diet, at least I am hitting the gym as often as I could.

Will see.

Food Journal Day 1

Paleo mission day 1 is a failure.

I started the day strong. Drinking lots of water and having a banana for breakfast. Then lunch time I had grill chicken breast but made a mistake of ordering coke zero.

Court matter went quite bad and I was agitated due to absence of caffeine in my system. Had instant iced coffee at a coffee place which is loaded with sugar and creamer.

Going to try to flush things out by drinking water tonight. Can I survive with just water??

Shall tell you all about it tomorrow.

The X-File - What if He Comes Back Begging?

He left you for another girl. You waited on him till finally the girl left him.

Then you left him for another boy. He waited on you till finally the boy left you.

Now both of you are not committed to anyone. The difference is perhaps you are more committed to yourself now that you are single and independent.

He promised to work things out for our future provided that I commit my self to him. I do not feel like committing to anything anymore. The real issue is, if he is able to work things out, is he is the someone you want to spend the rest of your life with?

He is loyal and kind. He understands you. He knows all the good and bad about you yet he accepted you for who you are.But he has also disappoint you and neglect you in the past. He was missing when you need him the most. Sure, he did try to make up for his mistakes and you already forgave his short comings, but can you forget? Will it happen again?

I'm not fine. This matter bothers me. I can't stop thinking about it. I could just ignore him but its not nice. But to keep giving him hope is equally not nice. I told him that I'm putting a stop on this, and I need space. He is not giving me any.

I really don't know what to do.I'm not good with being by my self but I need to learn to handle this.

Plans

I love making plans. But most plans that realized are my unplanned plans. Still.. I love making plans.

First plan that I am hatching today is my 6 packs leaner meaner me.

1. I have to diet.

This is the toughest one. Diet requires discipline as well as money. Healthy food cause money and a lot of prep time. It is easier for me to stop by a fast food joint and grab a bite. Or snacking on my favourite chips. I have to let go of my chips and instant coffee drinks. I have to let go soft drinks. and sugary snacks like donuts and cheesecakes. So I am reviving my paleo diet. No process food. No sugar. No flour. I think its gonna be tough. Paleo day 1 starts tomorrow.Need to keep a journal as well so that everything moves according to plan.

2. Gym - 1 hour - 3 times a week

Gym will starts today. At least 30 mins each session. But since I want a 6 packs, so I will spent 20 mins cardio, 10 mins stretching and 30 mins abs exercise.


3. To drink and drink and drink lots of water everyday

Another tough one for me coz I dislike water. But I'm gonna do it anyway.


May I remain steadfast and achieve my desired goal.

2016 Mission, Vision & Resolutions

Mission statement: Healthy, Happy and Humble Me.

Vision: A faithful servant of Allah, a loyal family member, a helpful and efficient employee, a great friend and a world traveler..

Let's do this people. I have been putting this off for awhile. Honestly, I don't feel like I'm in a good place spiritually right now. I feel like I am giving up the reign of my life to circumstances and to those around me. I feel that I am being manipulated and I'm just letting it be. Too lazy to fight it off. I'm just letting things to unfold itself and I am tackling them 1 at a time

Be that as it may, I do have big plans for this year. I pray that God ease things for me. I can already foresee the hindrance I'm gonna face. I pray that Allah give the the strength to overcome each of them.

February 2016

The month of February has always been a very short month for me. However, it is also the most eventful month simply because there are long holidays due to Chinese New Year.

Anyway, this post serves as a reminder to me.I am just thinking and planning for this amazing 2016. I have Europe Trip locked in July. I need my annual island holiday. Thinking of exploring Perhentian as I have not been there. I need to explore 1 Asean country too this year.

The main theme for my 2016 is save money to travel and eat.

Talking about eating, I am expanding side ways and I am not loving it. So, the next on the list of things to do this year is to get a six pack for my abs. Sound far fetched at the moment. But that is the goal I want to work on this year.

So to recap in order of priority:

1. Save lots of money
2. Discover Europe
3. Discover Perhentian
4. Discover 1 Asean country
5. Have a flat and sexy six pack abs

I am continuously saving money. I am collecting the Green Notes as 1 of the method. I am also putting away RM1 each day starting this month. I also set aside RM50 per month. As of now I have RM176. I am getting ang pow as well, so I should be able to save at least RM200 this month.

I would need RM1,000 for an island holiday. Once I manage to set aside RM1000, perhentian, here I come!!