Go the distance

If you haven't already watched Disney's Hercules (the movie), then I highly recommend it. I remember watching this movie as a toddler and not understanding or liking it because of Hades and the underworld. Recently I found myself chancing upon a video performed by a choir of a Disney medley that included the song "I won't say (I'm in love)". One thing led to another and I found myself buying the DVD on iTunes to watch. I've developed a deeper appreciation for the movie and the soundtrack ever since.

I'm going to be honest, it wasn't easy coming back here to write a post. Especially after having been gone for so long. How was I going to start my post after having been inactive all this while? Do I provide an explanation? Do I pretend nothing's happened and carry on? Do I owe an explanation as to what's happened?

The truth is, I've been going through a lot of personal (for the lack of a better explanation) problems recently. Whilst I know that we each go through our own set of problems, I can safely say that this is the lowest that I've ever found myself to be in. Failure, disappointment, worthlessness, stress... just to name a few of the emotions that I've been going through.

It hasn't been an easy journey, and it isn't one that I'll delve into anytime soon. Perhaps someday in the future when I've overcome this obstacle and become successful. When time has healed the wound that is so deep I'm almost numb to the pain no matter how much further it digs in.

... this is where Hercules comes in. Perhaps it's because it was that time of the month, or perhaps it's because I sympathised with Hercules. For what it's worth, this movie and the moral behind it moved me to tears. For the past few weeks, 'Go the Distance' has been on repeat. A reminder to myself to continue dreaming, that my hero's welcome is waiting for me out there someday.

So until my next proper post, I just wanted to wish anyone who's reading this right now the best of luck for the future that lies ahead. Don't let the obstacles you're going through dampen your spirits for a brighter future ahead. It's an uphill slope, but don't you lose hope.

Image Credits: Pinterest

Till then, with lots of love and strength from me to you,
xx.

Penang '15

Last week saw me travelling to Penang, an island very slightly off Malaysia. My grandmother was born and raised in Penang, but after getting married to my granddad at the tender age of 18, moved to Singapore with him. I grew up knowing my relatives and family in Penang. We don't visit as often as we would like, but we definitely stop by once every 2-3 years when possible :) Even so, I would still think I'm relatively close to my direct family there because when we do visit we don't do anything touristy since we spend all our time with family. 

I love Penang, and I especially love visiting. Perhaps its because I'm only able to meet up with my family once every few years, but each time I do there's always that sense of excitement that leads up to the trip. This is then followed by that same sense of sadness and forlornness after returning home. Whilst we usually only visit for up to 4/5 days each time, for some reason the trip this year felt shorter than normal. 

Toilet selfie

We usually travel by plane from Singapore to Penang. My dad has long since given up driving into Malaysia because it really takes a toll on his health. I remember taking long car rides back when I was little. We'd depart as early as 5am to travel to Johor Bahru up to KL before making a pitstop for one night and then resuming our trip to Penang. I think it usually takes us 2 or 3 days to get to Penang itself by driving. That's a huge comparison to the 1 hour plane ride to Penang haha! I usually fall asleep once I get on the plane and by the time I'm up we've already landed. 

We stayed at G Hotel Kelawai this year. The last time we came we stayed at G Hotel Gurney but this new establishment at Kelawai just recently opened and my dad wanted to give it a go. The two hotels are a stone's throw away from each other, with both being ridiculously close to Gurney Plaza. It's convenient for us especially if we need to do some last minute shopping / eat after returning from our relative's place. Also the hotel provides a buggy / shuttle service from one hotel to the other. I was originally really keen to be sitting on the buggy, but realised its so much faster to walk there than take the buggy! The buggy takes a longer route since it has to travel on a proper pavement whereas if you were to walk you're able to take the shortcut and its a lot nearer. 

I'm not picky with the hotels I stay at, as long as I'm able to feel safe and have proper rest whilst I'm there I'm good. If I were to compare between the one along Gurney and Kelawai though, I'd have to say I prefer the one along Gurney. G Hotel Gurney to a large extent feels a lot more polished and spacious as compared to G Hotel Kelawai. It was unanimously agreed to be so, but Kelawai is still decent and good for a hotel too :) p.s. their minibar was pretty much free so I was a happy goober. 

Complimentary Taro Ice Cream

Upon arriving at the hotel we were served with complimentary taro ice-cream. I was especially excited for this because the last time we visited they served us ice cream too! Call it a cheap thrill of mine, but I love it when hotels tend for their guests in small ways like these! It prompts me for the room and service that I'm about to be given for the rest of my stay :) Which to be honest, was very good service in my opinion. I have no complaints about their service at all.

Cute toiletries!

Okay, I have a confession to make. I actually took home all four bottles you see at the back there. I am so embarrassed to admit it but just look at that packaging!! How cute is it?! It's from a brand called Appelles, I think they're a company from New South Wales in Australia. I'd never seen it before even though I've lived in Australia the past four years now. I used their products whilst I was there and for someone like me with eczema and dry everything, they worked like magic! *hearts in eyes* My mom also confessed that she brought home the bottles too haha! Like mother like daughter. 

View from our hotel room :)

There were two view options we could have gotten. The first being the sea view and the second what you see above. My parents and grandparents got the sea view whereas my brother and I got the city (?) view. I think I actually preferred our view because it really felt like I was in Penang. Penang's really so so beautiful. They're surrounded by gorgeous hills and nature yet still has the hustle and bustle of a city. It's a more traditional Kuala Lumpur to me.

The pool was located on the topmost floor, and although its nothing big enough worth boasting about, the view definitely was. If we had time I'd have loved to lounge up there just soaking in the view. Must be a nice treat :)

Anyway, we didn't really spend much time in the hotel. We were only in Penang for four days in total and spent only the first day in the hotel rooms because our relatives visited us there then. The next consecutive days saw us outside in the city. 

One of my highlights from the trip has to be this. Parasailing. When the trend for travelling was visiting Penang, I never knew what tourists liked to do there because I guess I was never really a tourist whenever I visited. I did know that most of my friends went there to do water activities. It just so happened that on the weekend we visited, my granduncle hosted a get-together for the family at an apartment he rented along Batu Ferringhi, and so after having lunch we headed to the beach to chill! If you've never been to SouthEast Asia and would like to experience what a beach in these countries are like, I'd recommend Batu Ferringhi. There were a multitude of activities going on from horse-riding, to water sports, the list goes on! Business there is quite lup-sup though, you just have to take their word for it when it comes to the prices to partake in the activities. I'm pretty sure they jack up the price accordingly depending on the type of people they approach.

Anyway if you were wondering, yes that's me! in the picture. I did the activity with my aunt and it was so much fun. It was such a last minute decision too and I was wearing jeans to boot! Love spending time with the fam :) 

Overall, I had an enjoyable and fantastic time in Penang and am counting down to the next time we / they visit :) Blood is thicker than water, and I hope that this continues to be seen in the generations to come. Have a lovely week ahead, and happy holidays to all! 

Love, xx. 

My first 10km run!

The 18th of October 2015 was a special day for me because it celebrates the day I ran my very first 10km! Looking back at it today, I can't believe I actually completed the entire 10km without stopping. Just a few months ago it seemed impossible but now that it's done and dusted I feel like I am capable of achieving and accomplishing anything.

Here's a little backstory on how I got myself involved in the first place:

Rin had signed up for the 10km run for the Melbourne Marathon. I was always keen on participating in a 10km but had never been bold enough to sign up for it because I knew that doing so would mean commitment and thus regular training. As it is, I hadn't even completed a 5km properly before so 10km to me was practically swimming before I had even learnt to breathe underwater. To cut the story short, Rin persuaded and managed to get me to sign up for the 10km, and from that day on I knew there was no backing out.

Now my physical fitness was never on 'expert', but I definitely know I'm fit enough to run and carry out strenuous exercises. My physical strength wasn't so much my concern as my mental strength was. In all my life, I'd always run in the gym on the treadmill. Running outside was always a failure because I always gave up before I had reached the end.

Rin on the other hand, was experienced with running long distance. She'd covered a half marathon before and this girl had a healthy lifestyle (she's recently committed herself to powerlifting!!) so she knew what had to be done! Quite frankly, she was the one who opened up my eyes to the world of running and training for the run.

We only started proper training less than a month to the 10km. It's considered last minute training, but for the amount of time we - I - took to train for it, I'm pretty proud of how far I've come!

We started out by running 5km non stop outside and that very first run for me was a killer. I wanted to give up and almost did but my coach (Rin) was tough and strict on me. She told me not to stop and pushed me all the way. I originally thought we were just going to take the 10km leisurely, never did I think we were going to actually train properly for it. She even wrote a detailed plan for me!!

Training Plan

When I saw this training plan the only thing that went through my head was: I must not disappoint her. Whilst it is true that I started out with a different intention, but after seeing how much effort she put into my training plan and how supportive she was in my abilities to complete the entire distance, I didn't want to let her down.

What I learnt though, was that running long distances isn't difficult. In fact, I developed a deeper respect for athletes in general because of the disciplined plan they follow for their respective trainings. In the course of the three weeks that I trained for the 10km, I ate to exercise rather than exercised to eat, and my schedule revolved around my exercise plan. On days that I had to run the long distances outside (I did this with Rin), I used the techniques she taught me to make the journey easier. Progressively, like all things we do, it got easier to cope with as the weeks went by.

It's easier to build yourself physically than it is to do mentally. Challenging my mind was the toughest battle I had to overcome. In fact, the day we planned to run 7.5km outside happened to be the hottest day of the week. To top it off, of all times to run, we chose to run at 11.00am.

I so wanted to give up so many times, and I even tried to sneak my way out of it by faking that I was going to faint. I don't know if Rin could tell, but she made us run under the shade for a while to cool from the Sun before running outside again. I really wanted to give up and to exaggerate it: wanted to die. Even so I persevered and pushed on and at the end of day, managed to complete 7.6km. I felt so proud of myself.

Subsequently, once I knew mentally that I could run 7.5km, running the first 7.5km on the day we were scheduled to run 9km wasn't difficult at all. It was conquering the final 1.5km that was the real challenge. Even so, by this point I knew that I was physically able but still mentally weak. One method I took to battle this was by focusing on my breathing and the manner in which I was running. Channelling my thoughts in this direction helped to take my mind away from how much further I had to run and stopped me from thinking about giving up.

Eventually, the day of the 10km run came and to sum it up, it was the most incredible and amazing experience I'd ever been through. People of all ages, shapes and sizes were there to run in their respective categories. The atmosphere was so supportive and everyone was just there to have fun and to run. I'm proud to say I completed the entire 10km without stopping. I did it. It was truly a moment for me :)

Full Marathon runners

Before the run 

All smiles after the run!!

We did it!!

Huge huge huge shoutout to my gem of a friend/coach Shirin. Without you I would have been nothing.

Let this be a constant reminder to me during the times I want to give up. Giving up will bring me nowhere in the long run.

Next up: Half Marathon.

xx.

Photo Credits: myself & Shirin.

1000 steps taken.

... quite literally.

Slightly more than a month ago, I took a trip out of the city to Clayton to stay the weekend at Rin's place :) We had both signed up for the 10km run for the Melbourne Marathon and she was determined to push me to my limits such that I ran the entire 10km without stopping. More on my 10km run in another post ;) 

We had a "bootcamp" we organised for the weekend before the official start of the mid-semester break. It comprised of a run and a trip to the 1000 Steps at the Dandenong Ranges. I had always wanted to travel to the 1000 steps but never really knew how to do it via public transport. I soon realised that the journey to the 1000 Steps was a lot simpler and easier than I had expected. If you're not planning on driving there, you could always take the train to Upper Ferntree Gully Station. The walk to the start of the 1000 steps is a mere 10-15 minute walk away. 

Anyway, my original idea upon visiting the 1000 steps was to enjoy the scenery and take a leisurely walk all the way to the top. This was also a day after having run 5km (which on hindsight is really short in comparison to the 10km that I ran) and so my thighs were aching. 

However, once we reached 1000 steps I found out to my horror that Rin had other plans... The plan was to climb all the way to the top without stopping. I was not mentally ready for this. My mental strength is very weak. 

Rin was smart. I told her I would go last because I was slow but I promised that I won't stop at all costs. So, like all coaches she told me to lead the group up the climb. I wasn't too glad when this decision was made, I mean this means that there was absolutely no way of escaping. Not only that, there was the added pressure of me having to stay at a certain pace just so I don't end up slowing the group down. 

Eventually, I made a short pause less than thirty steps to the top. Mental game was weak, but I assure you it was worked on over the course of the few weeks leading up to the 10km. Main point was I made it. 

What was most inspiring for me were the couples who carried their babies on their back whilst walking up. There were also people who wore those jackets that contained weights inside. I don't know what the device is called, but it definitely made the journey up harder. Some were timing themselves, others were simply there for a hike. Either ways, what a beaut it was to have nature at your fingertips like that to exercise! This is why I love Australia so much. There's an abundance of nature available with plentiful types of activities to do! 

Took a stroll up the mountain after the climb.

After our climb, we had time to kill whilst waiting for our bus so we decided to walk around the area to see if there was food to eat. The bus only arrived every hour considering how it was a weekend, so we decided to have a slow and relaxing lunch whilst waiting. 

We came across this lovely vegetarian restaurant and were quick to decide on eating there. Personally, I think I could live as a vegetarian once I master the art of cooking delicious vegetarian meals. I've had some mock meat and it tastes similar to the real deal. Either ways, my point is that vegetarian meals are some of the most delicious meals in the world and I really need to discover more of such places. 

Because this took place more than a month ago, I cannot remember what we ordered :( All I can say is that everything we had was delicious and I'm certain it's not just because we were famished. The nachos were the highlight of the meal. It was a special the restaurant was having that day, and the veggies and dip they made was superb!!! It was so rich, tangy and full of flavours! I'm salivating just thinking of it now. I really do think the more colourful the dish is, the more flavourful it is too. 

I can't believe this actually took place more than a month ago. Time has gone by so fast!! :( 2015 is soon coming to an end. Time to reflect on what the year has been for me so far. Hope you've had a lovely weekend! :)

xx.

YouTube

For the longest time I've always wondered why people have a strange fascination and addiction in watching random strangers' vlogs. It's one thing to watch, but it's another altogether to go on a marathon and obsess over a family that you've never met before yet feel a part of.

I have my fair share of family vloggers that I am in love with and spend perhaps an average of 1.5hours each day watching. I try not to add new ones to my list because I don't have enough time as it is to watch all of them in one sitting.

Recently though I discovered itsjudyslife. Now I've heard of judy since ... ever. I watched a few of her videos on her main makeup channel many many years ago, but I never subscribed to her at the time. However I've recently discovered her again and found out she has a family vlogging channel on top of her main channel. My thoughts on this discovery: What took me so long?!?!

I am in LOVE with Judy, Benji, JB, MB, KB and her whole family. They remind me so much of my own family, the quirkiness, the positivity, the problems, the fun... I get all emotional each time I see Benji and his girls together because it reminds me so much of my dad. There was one particular video that got me all emotional and choked up. I don't remember which vlog it was, but I know they were dancing together in the living room and it was just the most beautiful scene :)

I'm obsessed with her family, and I'm just glad I've found them on youtube now. Better late than never am I right?

One idea I've been toying with in my head recently is starting my own youtube channel. I've actually attempted filming two videos before. I uploaded them on my channel but then deleted them shortly after. It takes a lot of courage to put videos of yourself online. Besides that, it is also extremely cringe-worthy having to edit footage of your awkward self. I think I shuddered one too many times that I eventually got tired of looking and hearing myself through the camera.

But who knows, maybe someday I'll gather enough courage to make a proper video to upload. Perhaps.

Moving on, I'm heading back to the motherland and I'm both excited and anxious. Maybe it's because I still have a lot of work to complete when I arrive home, but I'm excited to be taking a plane and sleeping on my bed again.

Anyway, here are some pictures from our farewell dinner for Pearl Li last night :) Taken by the ever amazing Derrick Koo.

Girl shot :)

Group photo :) This was not taken by Derrick, his abilities are far greater than that. Just felt the need to back him up :P

 xx

Thank you Buzzfeed

Realise that you're not alone and that at some point in each person's lives we go through this experience. Remember that you're worth it and that there was never a 'wrong time'. There's nothing wrong with you, the two of you just somehow never matched up in the end. 

It's painful and its difficult. But you are stronger than you think, and you will overcome it :)

xx

With time;

Amidst the stress of what are the examinations, I found myself meeting a friend this afternoon for coffee. As it always is with me and the people I end up meeting "for coffee", we ended up roaming around the area and talking about matters of the heart. I'm honestly really glad I decided on meeting my friend today, for I was actually harbouring the thought of cancelling our event due to the number of assignments I had to complete.

I was finally able to receive some form of closure from matters that have been troubling me for a while. Apart from the closure, I was finally able to dig deeper into the reasons behind my emotions and understand my thought process a little bit better. In essence, childhood trauma and fear were the main catalysts. That, and embarrassment.

Scars exist to remind us that the past was real. This scar is one that I will carry with me for a very long time. There is no reason for me to hate any of the memories I have of the incident, but sometimes I wish it wasn't a happy memory because the paradox is that it brings me pain each time it creeps into my mind.

Till then, with an easier heart, xx.

Till I see you again.

I am a pathetic excuse of a blogger, and I know, I've made so many empty promises with regards to updating this space!

Life has, in short, been exhausting.

There have been so many things going on, from contests, to assignments, to therapy sessions, to the 10km run, to meetings, to elections, to applications... I don't really know if I've had the chance to truly relax without worrying about something that's coming up.

Even so, it is precisely these things that continuously assist in propelling me forward through the days. After all, putting a specific event in my calendar just means that there's something to work towards and look forward to. But fret not, I definitely have my off-days where I'm basking under the warmth of the Sun and enjoying my time with friends. Weather in Melbourne has been splendid so far and I couldn't be more grateful :)

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I most likely won't be able to blog as often for the next few weeks - at least not until about the end of November - due to exams and assignments. As it is, I should be working on an assignment right at this moment but I'm procrastinating. I really miss blogging and sharing my experiences with you but I really don't want to do it half-arsed. I'd rather much put in my full dedication and thought when sharing these things.

Till then, here's a photo of the Exhibition Building from when I attended the Finders Keepers Markets two weeks ago. It was a lovely Sunday afternoon, and a pleasant way to end my mid-semester break :) The photo is ironic because this same building that housed the beautiful crafts is also the same building that thousands of students enter to sit for their examinations. It's a love/hate relationship.

... but I guess it makes sitting for examinations a little more bearable when its done in such a beautiful building. Till I'm back, stay safe and I'll catch up with you soon <3

xx.

Online Shopping with: BOOHOO

As promised previously here, my items from boohoo official have arrived and here's my review of the products!! :)

I can't recall exactly what the offer the website was having when I purchased these pieces of clothing (I honestly only ever shop online when there are offers) but I do know that I spent enough to receive free express shipping! Altogether I know I saved quite a hefty percentage due to the offer they had.

Firstly, the order came around four business days after the purchase. Packaging wise, I thought it was really simple and easy to carry because of handle provided on the bag hahaha. I think if ever in future I happen to be unavailable when the deliveryman arrives (I have to travel to the post office to collect the parcels if this happens) it'll be easy for me to bring the shipment home.

I was actually really excited about this particular order because of the two dresses I purchased! In the picture, they are the black/white & green pieces. You see, my issue with dresses is that for my size and height, they usually always end up way above knee level. I'm not comfortable wearing such short dresses and baring my legs so I tend to look for dresses that end just slightly above my knee. So imagine my delight when both dresses ended up being the perfect length and fit for me!! I was so so so pleased :)

Quality wise, I have to honestly say that the material isn't all too bad. For starters, I've already worn the blue/white shirt five times and it's still my favourite shirt at the moment. But unfortunately I do have to wash it because I've sweat far too much in it on Sunday hahaha.

The only issue I had was with the pair of jeans I purchased. I usually avoid buying bottoms online just because I like to feel the texture of the jeans and try them on to see how it fits on me before I make the decision to buy them. But well, I guess I felt adventurous this one time I went on with it anyway. I will say now that I'm never going to make that mistake again. I regret the decision so much. The jeans were not stretchy at all and I couldn't even put one leg through it. I concur that it isn't the error of the jeans but mine because I could have been able to fit another size plus not all pairs of jeans have the same cutting etc. BUT I will say that the material for this particular pair was horrid and would barely last through three months (maybe less) if you were to use it often. I was planning on returning them but I think I may end up selling it off instead.

Overall though, I am happy with the purchases and I foresee these pieces being used to exhaustion. I will say I'm not too certain how many washes it'll survive because let's be real, i'm your typical college student who dumps everything into the washing machine despite what the labels recommend. But I guess I'll put in extra effort for these.

This was also my first time purchasing from boohoo despite knowing that some of my favourite YouTubers rave about the store all the time. I guess I've just never tried it because I was always hesitant about online shopping at stores I had never purchased from before. Although this logic doesn't make sense because then i'll never end up buying anything online at all!! However, a good friend of mine had actually purchased from the store and gave me good reviews about it, and so I decided to give it a try. That plus the offer was like a clear indication of fate and that we were simply meant to be.

Would I purchase from the store again? A big fat YES for me!!!

Have you purchased from boohoo before? What were your thoughts? :) xx.

#Thoughts: Friendship

♥

During one particular parent-teacher meeting organised by my primary school in which I was present, my mother asked my form teacher during her turn if she felt that I was mixing with the right crowd. I was only twelve back then, and having this question asked in my presence was something I did not expect. I recall my teacher responding honestly, saying that I had to be careful not to be too easily influenced but that I had a healthy mix of friends in my circle.

Throw forward to 2015, and I look back at the friendships that I've made and it's one of those moments where you just sit down and feel thankful for the people who've taught you so much. Now of course, the four you see in my above collage are just a few out of the many who I treasure, but these four are significant to me because of some of the lasting values they've taught me. Still, when comparing the friends I had back then at the age of 12 to the people I've met now, I now understand why my parents were so worried for me. The friends I had back then weren't terrible people, rather their priorities were not one that rendered good influence.

I've always believed myself to be a good-natured person, although I don't deny that there are ugly bitchy sides to me as well. These are sides I don't agree with even personally, but it is then that the good people in my life bring me back to reality and remind me to be more humble, positive and patient. They say your friends are a good indicator of the type of person you are and I would like to think that my personality doesn't speak for the beautiful people my friends are. However, the good sides of me are definitely the product of the people who're in my life.

I think your friends ultimately should be the people who continuously aspire you to reach for your dreams and goals, and should be the people who are there to support you through your good and bad decisions. I've come to realise that the people I love dearly are those whose happiness is my own and vice versa. They are also the people I know I can tell my opinions comfortably to if I don't agree with them on something and there's no argument through the sharing of these thoughts. We may agree to disagree, but we value these judgments and take them into consideration without harshly judging the other for it.

Good friends are hard to come by, and today I'm just really thankful for all those who are here to stay. I don't necessarily speak for the future because we never know what life will be like once marriage comes into play, but as Olaf says: "Some things are worth melting for."

xx.

Product Review: Spa Treatment for free at home!

So if I haven't already made it clear before, I will make it clear now. I LOVE THE BODY SHOP. It's a no brainer really if you were to ask me. I think, apart from the very good marketing strategy of using the colour green to brand themselves, the products they sell are actually legit and work so well as they claim they're supposed to.

Quite recently, the store introduced their Spa of the World range and I decided to give it a look.

Now I have this tendency to approach salesgirls and ask them to test products on me if I'm very certain I'm not going to end up wasting their time at the end. I was pretty sure that I was going to purchase something that day, so I approached a salesgirl (dang me for not remembering her name!) and asked her to introduce the products in the range.

African Ximenia Scrub

Japanese Camellia Cream

I was completely sold the moment she tried the products on me. Now firstly, I'd like to say that I've been using a body scrub all wrong my entire life. I never knew you used it before you used your shower gel. I always thought you exfoliated after you used the shower gel. Well, I've now learnt the truth. 

My hands were so soft after using the scrub. In fact, I actually left the store the first time only purchasing the body cream and came back the next day to purchase the scrub. It was a worthy investment. The body scrub really leaves your entire skin feeling soft and smooth after!! It's practically a free spa session at home. Have I mentioned that it also smells relaxing??

The body cream on the other hand, smelled like a fresh garden of flowers during spring in Osaka. It smells like cherry blossoms. I love it. The texture of the cream is indeed velvety like stated on the packaging. It's really smooth and soft on the skin and a little goes a long way with it. It also has a matte finish as compared to the other body cream in the range, and is suitable for people with very dry skin. I have eczema and this cream has worked well for me so far :)

Overall, I'm really happy with my purchases :) I actually was very tempted to purchase their mist and detox cream but your girl is a student and finances are tight. Explains why I originally left with only the body cream.

Have you guys tried these yet? What are some of your favourite products from The Body Shop? :)

xx.