sorry seems to be the hardest word

Abang, if you read this...

just because...

I know you will be pissed if you read this post, but...yeahh..this was once upon a time

The sacrifice I made that wasn't worth it...a part that I want to erase but can never be

makeup wishlist

Recently, I'm obsess with makeup swap videos on youtube. There are a few makeup product that I really wanted that are not easily available here in Malaysia. In addition, I reckon the price of the products that I wanted are much pricey plus I can't get easy access to them here. Below are products that I really wanted to try, based on many good reviews from users.

1. Sleek Eyeshadow i-Divine Palette

2. Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush

3. Urban Decay Naked Skin Liquid Foundation

4. MAC Mineralize Rich Lipstick

5. NARS Bronzing Powder

6. Josie Maran Argan Oil

7. Guerlain Meteorites Perles

8. Cle de Peau Beaute Concealer

9. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner

haunted movies based on true story *spoiler alert!*

I am not a big fan of horror movies, but I did watched them a lot during my study years as most of my housemates suggested that we watched horror movies together because it would be less scarier. I would say I've watched plenty of crap movies that didn't even make sense but I guess the director could get away with it since most supernatural occurrences didn't make sense to most of us. As for me, I prefer those horror movies that are based on true story. Below are some of the haunted movies reportedly based on true story.

1. The Conjuring

Based on the case files of the Warrens. Ed and Lorraine Warrens are two paranormal researchers who were called by the Perrons to investigate the paranormal activities that have been going on in their new home. Little the Perrons known, the entity that have been haunting the house are actually going after them.

2. The Exorcism of Emily Rose

Based on the exorcism of Anneliese Michel from Germany. A priest performed an exorcism on the girl whom he claimed was being possessed by demons that resulted to self-abuse. When she died, her parents together with the priest were found guilty of manslaughter.

3. The Amityville Horror

The Lutzs moved into a house which had been the scene of mass murder where a man brutally murdered his family. Ronald DeFoe or Butch came home one day and murdered his family with a rifle. His father, was known to be violent towards the family especially to Butch. Soon, Butch decided to fight back and the hated that has been building up was release on November 1974 when he mercilessly murder his own family. As soon as the Lutzs move into the house, they experience disturbances and when they couldn't take it any longer, they invited paranormal researchers, Ed and Lorraine Warren to investigate the house. The Warrens concluded that the house was indeed haunted.

4. The Entity

Doris Bither claimed that she was abused by demons and after many attacks, she turn to paranormal researchers Kerry Gaynor and Barry Taff. The researchers witnessed the disturbances but never witnessed the attack on Doris thus unable to prove her claims.

5. The Haunting in Connecticut

The Snedekers moved into a house in a small town in Southington, Connecticut with the purpose of being close to the hospital where their oldest son was being treated for cancer. The house turn out to be a funeral home. They experience strange phenomena with Carmen and her niece being brutally raped repeatedly, an investigation by the paranormal researchers revealed that one former undertaker was involved in necrophilia - the sexual attraction to corpses.

Malay wedding stages

A malay wedding ceremony is performed according to Islamic principles with a blend of Malay tradition.

1. Merisik

Nowadays, the Malays normally skip this part as this tradition is most suitable for arranged marriage. Merisik is the seeking ceremony where a man is ready to settle down, his family will seek out information about suitable/particular woman. Representatives from the man's family will pay visit to the woman's family, there may be or may not be further arrangement of marriage as this depends on both sides of family whether to further or not.

2. Bertunang or engagement

If there is further arrangement of marriage (means both sides agree), engagement date will be set. It is held at the soon-to-be-bride's home, a symbol that  the future groom and bride are reserved to be married. This is when both families discuss the wedding date and plan. Both sides will bring gifts for each other which normally in modern Malay wedding consist of dessert, shoes, accessories, sometimes electronic gadget like handphone.

3. Malam berinai

Three days before the wedding (nowadays usually a day before the wedding), there will be malam berinai or henna drawing ceremony, during this time, henna is worn on the fingertips of the bride. Today weddings, elaborate henna design is worn as it is fashionable.

4. Akad nikah or solemnization a.k.a marriage contract

Both bride and groom will sign the marriage contract witness by religious officials, family and relatives which is required by both Islamic and civic law to legalize a Malay wedding. Both newlywed will exchange rings as symbol of unity. The groom will present his bride with mas kahwin (dowry) which is a payment from husband to wife that is legally due by Islamic law during the solemnization ceremony either in form of money or something that has monetary value for example gold jewelries. For further information, visit Dowry (mahar) in Islamic Perspective.

5. Bersanding

the Crown Prince of Brunei and Princess Sarah was married on September 9th, 2004

The couple will sits on pelamin and as a mark of approval and blessing, family,relatives followed by guests will sprinkle the newly wed with scented water and yellow rice. The guests are given bunga telur as a symbol of fertility which nowadays modern Malay wedding replace this with various kind of doorgift.

6. Bulan madu or honeymoon

simple things that help to slow down the aging process

1. Wear sunscreen/sunblock

Apart from helping to prevent skin cancer, daily use of sunscreen slows the aging of skin that is caused by the sun's ultraviolet rays. But it is not 100% effective, thus it is best to seek shade and avoid sunlight at its strongest - if needed to be under the harsh sunlight, wear sunglasses or long-sleeved (yeah, Malaysia is hot but preventing is way better than curing)

How to read SPF (sun protection factor) in sunscreen?

The number on the sunscreen bottle indicates how longer our skin can be exposed to the sun without burning - thus, SPF30 means skin can be in the sun 30 times longer without burning than it could be without sunscreen. According to American Academy of Dermatology, recommends SPF30 or greater and should be reapplied every 2 hours.

2. Deal with stress

How does stress helps to quicken aging process?

According to Dr.Vivian Diller, "When we're under ongoing stress, it creates a fight-or-flight reaction and thus resulted to stress chemicals released into the body which creates biological changes. If one have a life filled with constant stress, little by little the body is breaking down".

That is why, vacation is important. After slaving yourself away with workload, going for a relaxing vacation may be able to help you deal with stress. By planning a vacation, you are able to look forward to fun,relaxing,stress-free holiday, and keep telling yourself "it's okay, soon I'll be on a happy vacation" when you have a hard time at work.

Another way to deal with stress is to get a much needed SLEEP. Sleeping is the time when our body is in repair mode - this is the time when we produce growth hormone which is a key factor to remaining youthful.

3. Anti-aging foods

• omega-3-rich fish

According to Artemis P. Simopoulos, author of The Omega Diet, omega-3 fats from fish act on area of the brain that leads to improved mood and attitude which lead to feeling healthier and more vigorous. Fish like salmon and tuna have the most potent anti-inflammatory effects.

What is inflammation? - it is the body's attempt at self-protection. When inflammation persists, or serves no purpose, it damages the body and causes illness.

• dark chocolate

Cocoa beans have high antioxidant that helps increase circulation in the skin and improve its ability to retain moisture which can reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

Why dark chocolate and not any other kind of chocolate like milk chocolate?

It is because the refining process involved in making other kinds of chocolate strips away most of the skin-benefiting antioxidants flavanols.

• berries

They are rich in antioxidants which promote cell health and anthocyanins which help to protect against cancer and diabetes. Darker berries have the highest concentration of antioxidants that provide best anti-aging benefits. Apart from that, berries are good source of vitamin C which is good for skin as it helps repair damaged body tissues.

Really don't have the enthusiasm to blog lately...so this post is going to be just images that I found randomly. I thought it would be nice to have these in my home someday...

personal feminine office - I could hide it well too

really cool get together sofa

mini library...great idea...all it needs is a comfy couch

great when serving dinner party

clever design

just thought it looked nice...in alphabetical order too

this really saves up space

simple recipe: chili mussels

Ingredients:

Mussels (cleaned and boiled until cook)
Chili paste (posted about it before, click the link)
2 inch ginger (pounded)
2 lemongrass stalks (pounded)
couple of kaffir lime leaves
2 tbs chili sauce
Salt to taste
Cooking oil
1/4 cup of water

1. Clean the mussels and boil until cook, drain and set aside
2. Stir fry chili paste until a bit dry in medium heat, add salt
3. Add chili sauce, pounded lemongrass stalks, pounded ginger and kaffir lime leaves
4. Add mussels and stir well
5. Add water and stir well
5. Put a lid and let it cook for about 2 mins

jimi asmara

Thank you for your patience, understanding and support. May Allah swt bless you with more than enough and soothe your heart in your hard times.

jimi asmara

eyes

clockwise: wayfarer, cat eye/winged, thick brows, smokey eyes

i'm sarcastic when i'm angry

sally the cat

A cat was wondering at our house, I fed her with cat food since we always have stray hungry cats wondering at our house (guess the cats know we adore their kind)... Since she drop by quite often and always takes her nap anywhere she fancies...I decided to adopt her and named her Sally, normally I will not choose this name, but this time, there is a story behind the name Sally...quite funny actually which I cannot elaborate here...a girl gotta have secrets, you know...

 Sally from Nightmare before Christmas, with a cat quite similar to Sally the cat

the men in my life...

The men in my life are never sincere, they will treat me extra nice, be extra romantic when they wanted something or need my help. True man, will be himself and they know how to treat the lady right.

The men in my life are mostly jerk, lying about me being the only one but they have someone else either nearby or far away. In this case, I will back away because I do not want to waste my time and someone who think full of himself...thinking girls have to fight for his love, this men are called coward.

The men in my life do not practice and perform the solat or fasting in Ramadhan, only a few did. Thus, I can say that nowadays most men are not fit to be a leader, a father, a husband.

The men in my life take me for granted, date me and be with me only because their girlfriend is far and they are lonely. Although I am patient about it, I never forget. Later they will look for me and tell me how sorry they were, how stupid they were, how much in love they are with me now that I'm no longer with them.

The men in my life thought me to never trust anyone except my family, they thought me that family will be there through thick and thin, through make ups and break ups. To grow up, to be patient, to be extra careful because someone may seem sweet outside but pure bastard inside. Sometimes selfish is a must because no one will love you more like you love yourself.

The men in my life were never loyal, thus I well prepared if anything happens...I believe not to do harm to others so that others will not do harm to you, but if they do...Allah swt is just. What goes around comes around, what goes up must comes down. Never settle for one man until you are finally married.

The men in my life always tell me what to do, wanted me to make daily report but when I ask them how they feel if I were to do the same thing, they just don't know what to say...they wanted me to obey their rules but never mine. In this, I will say inequality! Thus, I am more strict now and stand up everytime or debate on what I think is ridiculous.

soul food: Ya Hanana

A day left before Ramadhan, inshaAllah... My current favourite Qasidah, listen to this almost everyday at night before sleep. Food for soul...

#kalau-tengok-halaqah-mesti-banjir #makan-dalam

simple recipe: chicken paprik

please excuse the poor quality image

Servings: 2

Ingredients:
1/4 chicken - cut in cube size
4 tbs chili paste (see below for recipe)
1 red onion - slice
2 tbs chili sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
kaffir lime leaves
1/2 cup of water
Salt and sugar
Cooking oil

Optional:
Long/green beans
Carrot

Method:
1. Stir fry chili paste until a bit dry in medium heat.
2. Add red onion and veggies if any. Pour in half a cup of water...let it simmer a bit.
3. Add chili sauce, soy sauce, salt, sugar to your preference...also the lime leaves.
4 . Lastly, add in chicken.

Additional recipe: chili paste

Cut dried chilies into bits and soak until soften...I normally do 3 handfuls. Drain the liquid and scrape out as many seed as possible because the paste will be too spicy. Put the soaked chilies in electric blender, add 3-4 red onions which have been cut roughly also 2 garlics and a bit of belacan/dried shrimp paste and water. Blend until achieves even consistency. Store in refrigerator.

my pick of top 20 love songs

1. i will always love you - whitney houston
2. a thousand years - cristina perri
3. i'll make love to you - boyz II men
4. endless love - diana ross & lionel richie
5. truly, madly, deeply - savage garden
6. all my life - k-ci & jojo
7. can't help falling in love - elvis presley
8. my heart will go on - celine dion
9. wonderful tonight - eric clapton
10. unchained melody - righteous brothers
11. i don't want to miss a thing - aerosmith
12. far away - nickelback
13. always - bon jovi
14. you're still the one - shania twain
15. i love the way you love me - boyzone
16. at last - etta james
17. if you're not the one - daniel bedingfield
18. by my side - sade
19. just the way you are - bruno mars
20. my all - mariah carey

random conversation

girl : abang, harga emas sekarang 130
guy : bila nak turun bawah 100 hehe
girl : impossible kot...tapi harga diamond tak turun...camne tu? silap2 abang kene pegi melombong
guy : diamond tu kan musuh lelaki
girl : abg...keep your friends close but your enemy closer
guy : taknak...abang nak keep sayang closer
girl : banyak betul cekadak kalau cakap pasal diamond ehh...

simple recipe: chicken with soy sauce

please excuse the poor quality image

Servings: 2

Ingredients:
1/4 Chicken - cut accordingly (I prefer medium size pieces)
Red onion - slice into rings
Garlic - chop roughly
Ginger - slice thinly
Chili/bird's eye chili a.k.a cili padi - cut to your preference
1 potato - slice into wedges
1 tbs oyster sauce
2 tbs chili sauce
1 tbs soy sauce
Salt and cooking oil
1/2 cup of water

Method:
Fry potato wedges and set aside.
Fry chicken cuts and set aside.
Heat 2 tbs of cooking oil. Throw in red onion and ginger, after awhile add in garlic and chili.
In low heat, add in oyster sauce (stir), chili sauce (stir), soy sauce (stir) and water.
Add salt to taste.
Finally add in fried chicken cuts and potato.

whole again

One of my many fave, not many know this song but seriously any guy who likes me should listen to this song. Always a fan of slow rock~ Rape the play button!

Whole Again by Edge of Fire (Malaysian band)

a photo of me and eleven random facts

Excerpt from a blog tag game.

1. I am easily annoyed with mostly the things people do for example when they stop abruptly in the middle of a busy sidewalk or chew with mouth open.
2. The only singer I will not get bored of listening to is Mariah Carey, my most fave is Hero.
3. I love movie/tv show with medieval theme such as Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones.
4. The only country I have ever been to (except my birth country) is China and the realization of being in China only hits me when I saw the Great Wall of China.
5. I hate the smell/taste of anything coffee.
6. I am jobless when I post this entry – been trying to get a job not that my resume is not impressive but it's not great either...just average.
7. I am a very bad driver, I prefer sitting in the co-pilot seat.
8. I love masculine-themed interior décor.
9. I've eaten worm and given a toad a bath during a team-building event without hesitation – looking back, I don't understand how on earth I manage to do them, maybe I was annoyed with the crap activities the facilitators made us do/I'm just tired and want to get it over with quickly. Overall, quite enjoy it, kinda.
10. I like smart guy over good looking guy.
11. I don't know how to swim because I'm afraid of the deep water but ironically, I would like to scuba-dive one day.

how to be just friends with a guy

I have a few guy friends and some are my bestfriends. A girl and a guy can be just friends if both agreed to it. Here are some tips on to befriend a guy without leading him on according to my experience.

Set your boundaries right from the very beginning

Make it clear that you want to be just friends and not more than that but in time, when the time is right...marrying your bestfriend is sometimes the best decision. Before that happen, ensure both party understand the situation and agree on friendship.

Do not flirt

When we meet someone from the opposite sex, we tend to flirt if we find the guy attractive. But if you wanted to be just friends, avoid gesture that suggest you are flirting. Flatter is okay but not too much, flatter when it is necessary. Avoid wearing something sexy or provocative. Do not always let the guy open the door for you, avoid being with just him for too long and too often, pay for each others meal – do not let him pay for your meal always, avoid touching him or look him directly in the eyes when he speaks – just act casually or nonchalantly but make sure he knows you are listening. Do not fool him into thinking he has a chance to be your boyfriend by not sending the wrong message to him.

Do not use pet name

Call him by his name...avoid pet name or using it in a sentence, eg: "yes, my dear..."

Avoid talking about past relationship or love life

In my opinion, it is okay to confide but don't go all out because if you do, you will be vulnerable and he might think that you need him. Of course, a friend in need is a friend indeed but remember your boundaries. Avoid commenting on his date or girlfriend or the girl that he likes, just let him decide as people learn from mistake if he does make one. Just be there for him if he needs a friend.

Be straightforward

If he cross the boundaries, let him know. Tell him what you can do or cannot do for him as both are from the opposite sex there are things you cannot do that may lead him on. Now and then, remind him how lucky you are that both of you are friends.

us as students hanging out together @aeon.bukit.tinggi

bestfriend's overly attached gf

Just realized my "best"friend has this! I wonder if he would choose her over us?? Will never make him choose, just wait and see like before...hope he made the right decision.

the unwritten rules aka common sense everyone should follow

Read an article about the 33 unwritten rules everyone should follow.  I absolutely agree on the article, it is awfully distracting when people do these things.  I would easily categorized this type of people as ignorant and selfish, they wouldn't know how distracting they are till they experienced it.  Myself is not perfect, no one is but I try not to do things that would annoyed people.  That is why sometimes I hate being in a public place.  

1.  Taking too long to decide what to order - usually happen to me at McDonalds.

It's not like McD change their menu every day, you should have known by heart what you want to order or have the decency to decide what you would like before it is your turn to order.  It is called fast food, it is meant to be fast.

2.  Stop in the middle of a busy walkpath

I think it is the most annoying thing people do -  stop in the middle of a busy walk path/road just to chit chat. I would normally say excuse me aloud and gave them the stare no matter who they are.  You should not stop in the middle of a busy road just to chit chat.  It is rude and damn selfish if you do that.

3.  Always let people out of the train before entering / always prepare yourself to exit as the door waits for no one

Another common sense, what if a person missed his/her stop just because you refuse to give way for them to exit? and...people should not be mad if they missed their stop if they are taking their own sweet time.

4.  Never put your stuff on an empty seat beside you, it's for people to sit not for you to put your stuff

I once saw a woman with a lot of grocery bags which she placed on an empty seat beside her being ignorant just because she have a lot of stuff which she could put them on her lap and an old man with a walking stick with no where else to sit.

5.  Be extra quiet when there are people sleeping

When you need to do something, be extra quiet when there are people sleeping.  Myself, once awaken by noises, it is hard for me to get back to sleep and I will bother those who wake me.

6. When there are people around you, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.

Please do not share your germs!

7.  Be considerate to others like you want others to be considerate to you.

My father will always look out for people who in need of table to eat, when we're done eating, father always say once you are finish, leave the place for others to use, we could always continue chatting in the car.

Always use one side of the escalator/stair if you are not in a hurry.

Do not use the express lane if you are purchasing more than 10 items.

DON'T cut in line. Wait for your turn like everyone else.

I always remind myself to be considerate of others, of course there is nothing wrong with being selfish but only if it is necessary and you could ask nicely instead of being ignorant. You wouldn't want the same thing to happen to you.

#karma-is-a-bitch