Feel Good Time

There are times when your confidence level just shoots through the roof and into the sky. You notice that a slight smile seems to permanently attaches itself to your face, that a bounce out of delight accompanies each of your step, and it feels as if the noise around you just fades away, that all you can hear is the soundtrack of your favourite happy song. You feel as in an invisible camera is following your every move, that you are playing yourself, the main character in the next destined-for-box-office movie in which the plots revolve around you. If it rains and you don't have an umbrella with you, you won't run searching for the nearest shade but spread your arms wide and look into the sky, letting the droplets hit your face instead, relishing the moment. You feel as if you can rock the runway fiercely along with other supermodels with to-die-for bodies and stand as tall as them in your 5'3'' frame. There's hardly anything in the world that you can't handle.

If only such magical days could occur every other day.

And there's also the dreadful bad 'everything' day when your fierceness stoops to an all-time low. Bad hair day, bad tudung day, any way you like to put it. On these days, it's like every element in the world has conspired to make your life miserable. The wind seems to purposely blow in a certain way to mess up your tudung/hair. Your clothes must have, though unnoticeable to the naked eyes, deformed themselves because no matter what, they don't seem to want to sit right on your body. The mirror fools you into thinking you have gained several pounds. The milk you are pouring into the glass takes its own course and spill itself onto the floor. The pile of mess in the middle of your room moved a couple of inch to the right, so that it strategically trips you when you are already running late to somewhere. You feel like not getting out of bed at all and wait until another brand new day arrives.

But that's life. Since you don't have the privilege of a pause, skip, or fast-forward button, you just have to face it.

To help me get through these crappy days, I usually rely on certain songs in my mp3 (see it's so not cool to say 'mp3' anymore, it sounds so ancient, I need to get myself an iPod soon), guaranteed to uplift my mood just enough for me to make it through the day alive.

So I thought I'd share my 'Top 12 Must Have Feel Good Songs' with you readers.

I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're never gonna keep me down~ Gahh that never gets old! (though the rest of the lyrics don't make much sense haha)

Living It Up

You know how some prodigy when asked would nonchalantly answer that they've been doing what they're doing since they were like urm 2 years old? Sheesh what a show-off! At 2 years old I still pooped in my diapers and my mom was still teaching me to use my pink training potty. I think that might as well be my biggest accomplishment at the time.

Another proof that life's unfair huh?

Yeah whatever. I'm content with being semi-ordinary. ('semi' implies my reluctance to conform to ordariny-ness, even though up until now I'm still in a limbo regarding what's not-so-ordinary about me but I'm trying I'm trying)

But that's not the point of this post. Introducing...Tavi Gevinson!

She's 13, she's a fashion blogger, she kicks ass at what she does, and during the recent fashion show, she sat in the front row, along with Anna Wintour and the likes! How about that for a resumé at the tender age of 13 huh?

After All Is Said And Done, More Is Said Than Done

Blogging itch blogging itch.

I haven't written any proper post for quite a while because the thing that I want to write the most, the thing that has been the centerpiece of my thoughts lately, is the thing I restrain myself from writing.

It's like when you make a wish after blowing out the candles on your birthday cake, or when you have a pleasant dream that you really want to come true, you can't say it out loud or else you'll jinx it. Hah. Me the superstitious.

So let's talk about the third utmost thing that I feel like writing. My 50-to-do list. Last year has been very unproductive. I only managed to cross out one thing, and half-a-thing. Yawn yawn. But at least it's better than nothing I guess.

This year should see some improvement. It's a must. Have my eyes set on no. 3 which is to swim with dolphins. After some rummaging through the internet I found that the opportunity might be closer to home than I thought. No need for any exclusive holiday vacation to the Carribean islands or anything. Apparently you could swim with dolphins in Batam Island, which is 45 minutes away by ferry from Singapore. And together with transport, food, the entrance ticket and everything, it only costs about RM 350. I think the price is pretty fair.

Since I've learned swimming I haven't got the chance to practice it in seawater yet. This beautiful place seems like a great way to start, innit?

Lookie here, you can dance and kiss them too :

A double big smack on the cheek!

One stunt I don't see in the photos with this bunch of dolphins though is one where you stretch your legs inside the water, as if you were standing, and then the dolphins will pick you up on your toes with the tip of their mouth and they will swim you out of the water on a tangent; so to the people watching from above the water it would seem as if you are emerging out of the water, while standing. Cool huh? I guess that requires a lot of training kot.

Besides being well-known for their intelligence, these adorable creatures are also known for their unusually friendly bond with human. There has been one recorded case in which a man is saved from an attack by a shark when a group of wild dolphins formed a protective circle around him and chased away the angry shark. And so far, there has only one case of a man being killed by a dolphin in the wild and even that was accidental. The poor man was drunk when he accidentally literally brushed the dolphin the wrong way during a play fight; the dolphin, feeling threatened, instantly turned into a self-defense mode and knocked the guy into the water and drowned him. The dolphin was actually well-recognized by the locals as it had frequented the shore for a long time to play with human.

As for the safety in this island, which as Fudye said has been featured on 360 for gaining its popularity as a booming prostitution midpoint, other crimes involving tourists are pretty unheard of. As long as we stay away from any brothel, we're practically safe. See I've done my research. Plus, that's why we need a strong protective male on the trip to take care of us, wink wink.

So yeah that definitely tops the plan. Hope there'll be time between work and before going into the month of Ramadhan.

To be frank, I'm tired of planning. I have lot of plans running through my head and up until know, they are still just buzzing in my head like annoying flies in the summer. No actions taken. Boo myself. I don't want to wait around anymore; if there's any resolution worth having, then this year is the year of taking actions.

Notice that I've skipped number 2 and went straight to number 3? No? Well, ok now let's take a step back and hear me rant about the second utmost thing I want to write about. It's about being straight-forward. I doubt that everyone wants to hear the honest truth each single time. I personally don't. Though I agree that there's always only one truth that is the truth, there's a handful of ways to verbalize it. Either you choose to tell it the way that would drive a knife through the heart of the person on the receiving end, or you could be careful with your choice of words so that the truth won't sting that much without compromising the core of the message. In both cases you would get your point across. That's all that matters right? Hardly.

You can go about life trampling on everyone's foot without having a care in the world, but who's gonna be left in the end? Apart from your parents. Technically they don't count, because your parents will love and pray for you and still think that you are the most wonderful beautiful thing ever, never mind if you turned out to be the biggest loser or the most horrible person in the entire planet.

Come on people, what's so bad about what we have? I won't call it lying. It's more like the ability to cushion the cold hard truth a little here and there now and then. The world is harsh enough as it is already.

Conversations On Mars

"You were supposed to be superman."

"But y'know, even superman can't read minds."

No Man Is An Island

Though My Dream, It's Never Quite As It Seems

This morning I definitely woke up on the right side of the bed. Happy doesn't even quite describe it. I feel...light inside.

Last night I had the most special dream ever. Even better than James Franco! (though he never did appear in my sleep, so much for sabotaging my dreams, you evil cerebrum)

In my dream I was asleep. When I woke up I realized that I was in a strange bed but somehow I knew I was home. I saw three different cakes lining at the foot of my bed. There were all for me, to celebrate me being home.

I walked out of the room. And I saw papa. He was busy painting the house in guess what...yellow! The single colour that my mom hates the most. She would literally pay me not to wear yellow haha. But I guess ibu was okay with it since she was painting the walls too. We were in a new house. I remember asking, "Are the cakes for me?" even though I sorta knew already that they were. No words escaped his mouth. Nobody else in the dream even spoke except me. But it didn't seem weird to me at all. It's like we have this silent understanding.

Even if the dream doesn't mean anything, it's okay. It doesn't need to. I'm just really glad for it.

Corong Radio

It's almost impossible nowadays to listen till the end of a song without hearing the word bitches or whores or hoes. Or maybe just bleep because of the censorship.

Most songs we hear now on the radio are full-blown sexually-charged; they idolize one night stands and women seems to be only as good as her body. Those songs that ask women to take their clothes off because it's getting 'hot in here', to lick lollipops (waddehel), to jump on a stranger and do all sort of dirty things to him. Grrrrrrrr. I don't know why I said that haha.

Call me a hopeless romantic or prude or old-fashioned but I would love to hear more songs on celebrating real-depth everlasting true love, on treating women with the kind of respect they deserve.

I mean, with lyrics like this : "Forget about your boyfriend and meet me at the hotel room oh and bring your girlfriends too",....

...compared to this :

"Said I love you but I lied, cause love could never ever feel this strong"

"When a man loves a woman, he'd trade the world for the good thing he's found"

"When somebody loves you it's no good unless he loves you all the way".

...don't they sound rich?

But then again. It's not fair to compare kanak-kanak hingusan hip hop like Soldja Boy Tell 'Em (I mean, really? Putting 'tell em' at the end of your name? Really?) to real gentlemen like the sexy oh-so-romantic Michael Bolton.

If Hercules was real, I bet he would probably look a lot like Michael Bolton, time dia rambut blonde panjang macam ni :

Sekarang rambut dia dah kurang padat. Biasala. Dah tua. Still, he would win my vote over Soldja Boy any day. I dunno what I have against him really. He just looks like an annoying twat to me.

Oh now I remember why.

Because I wasted 30 minutes of my life that I would never get back watching MTV Super Sweet 18 starring Soldja Twat Tell 'Em (back in the days when I still have a TV). What a brat he was.

Maybe that's the main requirement MTV has set for the show, if you're not a spoiled rich brat you can't appear on it.

Another Retail Therapy

People, especially girlfriends, I need your opinion.

It's that time of the year again. To plan your wardrobe for spring!

I know that it's still snowing out there, but as modern-day career women (as Hawe put it hehe), we must think ahead. Taking cues from Spring/Summer 2010 runway trends, this year it's all about nude (colours, not going bare nooo!), studs, bold prints (floral, animal, tie-dyes, geometrics), lace, sheer fabric...and shoulder pads...

....but let's leave that to Lady Gaga, shall we?

So let''s get some inspiration.

1. NUDE/NEUTRAL COLOURS.

Runway inspiration.

Exhibit 1.

Exhibit 2.

Exhibit 3.

Exhibit 4.

2. FLORAL PRINT

Exhibit 5.

This one is very similar to what Topshop now offers in their latest collection.

Exhibit 6.

Vintage vibe. But a bit too 'English-style' for my liking. Could work for tea with the Queen maybe.

This one is from Ralph Lauren. Inspiration for Exhibit 7 and 8.

Exhibit 7.

Exhibit 8.

Topshop Rosebud Skater Dress.

Exhibit 9.

Love the dress, hate the PVC-belt-thingy in the middle.

3. HOUNDSTOOTH PRINT

This one is from Preen. So expensive you can't touch 'em (that is, if you have a modest shopping budget like most students including me)..

Exhibit 10.

But luckily for us, you can find a knock-off like this, which makes shopping accessible even when you are always stretching your budget for clothes!

4. STRIPE

Black striped dress from Miss Selfridge.

Exhibit 11.

Exhibit 12.

One of my personal favourite, but this leaves no room for extra kgs anywhere SIGH...

Exhibit 13.

Maybe stripes that are far apart will lessen the 'larger-than-life' effect.

5. LACE

Urban Outfitters Lace Mini

Exhibit 14.

6. CHECKERED

This trend might stick around for a while.

Oversized checkered boyfriend shirt from Topshop.

Exhibit 15.

Exhibit 16.

The lace layer at the bottom adds a feminine touch to the outfit.

7. SHEER FABRIC

If you like long flowy tops, you should look under Free People (you can check them out through Urban Outfitters's website), they have a wide range of selection.

Exhibit 17.

Exhibit 18.

Demure and sweet

Exhibit 19.

Exhibit 20.

Blouse from MNG.

Exhibit 21.

8. STUDS

Studded sweater from Miss Selfridge.

Exhibit 22.

Exhibit 23.

9. OVERSIZED T-SHIRT/TOP

Exhibit 24.

Exhibit 25.

Forever21 is big on grahic tees now, you might want to check them out. Ranging between 10-12 USD , they are pretty affordable too.

10. MISCELLANEOUS

These might not be to-watch-out-for trends for 2010, but they are cute nevertheless!

Exhibit 26.

Exhibit 27.

Exhibit 28.

I love long-sleeved dresses because I can pair them with skinny or slim fit jeans without having to think about layering under or over it. Suitable in humid Malaysian weather.

The exhibits, despite not carrying any recognizable brand names, are very chic that from the style point of view, they are more than decent enough to be compared to other respectable mainstream brands; think MNG, Zara, Topshop, Urban Outfitters, Forever 21.

Can't say for sure about the quality though, but from the pictures they look decent enough. I've bought tops from Esprit and H&M that got rips/discolorations on them after wearing it a few times so there you go. Should be more careful washing them next time.

Being a shopaholic like me who just can't seem to have enough clothes, the fun lies in mixing branded items with low-key items to create your own personal look; think fashion icons Sienna Miller and Alexa Chung who are known to wear designer items together from pieces from thrift stores.

What I would love to know is that, if these items go on sale, carrying a price tag ranging from RM35-RM65 (approximately equivalent to 7,00-13,50 Euros or 6.50-12.00 GBPs), would you, personally, buy them?

Any comments would be much appreciated!

Also, I would like to know which one is your personal favourite trend and how would you wear it! ;)

Sweet Dreams

I want to sleep early tonight. Staying up won't do me any good since I'm not being productive since 6.00 p.m. I remember watching in a documentary about a 'dream creator' some Japanese scientist invented. Leave it to the Japanese to be the first in coming up with the wackiest craziest ideas. Basically, you put a picture of the person/thing you want to dream about in a slot, and you go to sleep looking at the picture accompanied by music or something...I forgot how the machine works actually. But the main idea was there. So...

James : So..you wanna go shopping again?

Me : Nahh I'm kinda broke..

James : *laughs* Hey of course I'm paying for it silly, I'm the frigging movie star.

Please Brain, since you never let me dream anything pleasant, or if you ever did, I never seem to remember it when I woke up, you owe me this dream.

Good night.

A Wistful Kind of Bliss

"Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day."

If I had taken up English lit degree, instead of just a pastime, 'reading' would be my actual assignments... Why didn't I ever thought of that before?