2024 New Year Resolution

2023 was a blast and I will forever be grateful for that. I mature, I grow, I felt dependable, I have greater self-control, I read more than 10 books Alhamdulillah and I simply love all these little-by-little changes. insyaAllah I'll do better next year. (u think I should go for 20 books? naaaa lmao)

but there's one thing I haven't been able to do this year (yang I am aware of lol) that I will pass to 2024 me... it's...

detaching myself from social medias. or social medias without the S. because really, there's only Instagram left. I dah beheaded Twitter, which I thought was impossible so yeah I can do Instagram too. TikTok? never had it. 

It's not like I posted much, but... I would rather write long paragraph about what happened to my day in my diary or here. sometimes I do let myself get indulged in bad thoughts after posting stuff but most of the time I know deep down I dont care. Even if I cared it'd be just a few mins after posting and I would then totally forget about it. I know I could turn my ig captions into a blog post however I like, but the thing is, mcm, no thanks. hahahaha

so until then, I think I'd be good just writing on my diary or here. Plus Instagram features are great, haih, if not for the archive thingy I would even deactivate. but nope I takkan deactivate until ig mysteriously undo the archive feature haha. I would probably just post less.... especially on ig story. I also want to normalize posting stories later rather than immediately after. faham tak?

Besides, and this is the main point. THIS POINT SHOULD BE UP THERE WHAT WAS I THINKING WHEN I WAS WRITING THIS

*clears throat* ehem

there's so much work I could have done instead of scrolling past millions of reels. Isn't this us all? haha so yeah I think you get this. I also wanna stop justifying such irresponsible habit, saying it's my me-time that I thought I deserve. I want to be diligent and I think it'd be cool if I work harder on things that I like to do, especially things yang would help in my teaching like playing instruments! learning new language! equipping myself with lessons-based short stories for the kids. and more! eheh.

and for other resolutions, I will think as I go. I am not the type of person who would meticulously plan what my goals are for the year, I'd be better writing them by months (kononnnn ahahaha, done nipu) so yoooo that's all. Adios 2023! 

I... guess..?

it was a normal evening. I was teaching in the classroom (more like making sounds and dancing and making weird moves but let's not tell you that) just imagine me gracefully writing on the whiteboard, shining, looking pretty and cool, when suddenly one student of mine walked in front to ask:

"Miss, you are intelligent right?"

I went "Huh?" pretending not to hear him even though the question was simple, clear and concise bc please, I needed time to assess what he meant by that question.

His face: didn't look confused.

His tone: wasn't demeaning.

His reason: error 404

and so he went again,

"You are Actually intelligent right?" now with his eyebrows raised and a smile.

but being the insecure potato I was, I went "What?" again, hoping he'd just stop bc lol I know I might have looked like a clown with a big red nose to him at the moment but I swear I wasn't always like that T___T however he persistently asked that every cell in my brain had to aggressively typed some possible answers for me to tell him and the answer that my brain had deemed the best at that moment? it's this:

"Uh-huh yeah I guess..?" 

lmaaaaaoooo which of my brain cell intern came up with this? gurl can't even confidently say "Yes" sdjkskdjsd to a seven year-old! or you know what? a humble answer would have been much cooler like "Oh no, I am still learning" or "I don't think so, you are more intelligent than me I bet" like ??????????  

but before I could alter my answer, the kid just walked away smiling after exclaiming "Oh yes, I know you are!" eye-?

what? what is this behavior? come back and explain!!! Geez. now im probably really just a clown to him kan? *cries while taking this clown makeup off*

All My Birthdays

things I recall on my birthday. 

I came from a family who didnt really celebrate birthdays and we never cared to even ask why. till now pun idc much. that's why im BAD at other people's birthdays as well as my own😔 I think the earliest memory of me celebrating birthday was when I was 16, which was *gasp* 9 years ago.. (omg what?!?) 

it was when I baked my first cheesecake for my girls and they LOVED it (idk if they were just being nice bc I was the birthday girl kan, but hihi sumpah it was still the best cheesecake I'd ever had too *smug face*) and their praises were enough to get me so conceited and proud as a peacock to bake it the second time for my family ..only for it to be so below average lol

then I got to my 18th, uwu. I remember being grandly pranked by my housemates to which I really had NO idea at all. sly bi***, uhhh, thank you.

and then 19, pranked by someone who knew me too wellㅡ elle sharmaine hani🥹 she knew by then I loved getting wishes. so she secretly messaged everyone not to wish me. cunning. bet she knew how I was expecting them to the point where I would embarrassingly ask my friends to guess what day it was.........

in which i actually did😭 

I asked almost everyone and nobody gave me the answer I wanted to hear😭 I thought if I were persistent enough, someone would actually scream "YOUR BIRTHDAY!?!?" and I would say "Yes!!! HEHE" 

but no... what I had was a bunch of friends who guessed every kind of days EXCEPT my birthday😂 (especially you, Alia) wei I was so frustrated I ended up telling Alia "harini birthday aku..."  to which she nonchalantly replied, "ha-ha ok? Happy birthday?" (kak maine shouldve awarded her a trophy sumpah) 

it was so funny and disappointing at the same time😂 

but then there it was, my surprised birthday song by my classmates at the end of our class. shocked, thankful (and embarrassed) thank God the day didn't end with me starting my diary with how I was surrounded by fake friends. phew.

by the next next birthday I was already a pro at seeing clues and signs of my birthday pranks. therefore every prank after that was a fail, be from my family or my friends (born bijak mcm ni la haha astaghfirullah gurau) but I cherished every moment of it the same! hihi

pastu last year! got lotsa presents too (2 hadiah is a lot for me ya) walaupun I bukan jenis kisah sangat pasal hadiah, or anything related to birthdays like pls, I lost the first friendship bracelet alyn gave me when we were 16? 17? Wait.. 15?!? T____T

and then this year!!! happy 25th *gags* birthday farhan hasanah! Alhamdulillah I had a blast today, too. I guess if you, too, wanna make my day, wish me now before the clock strikes 12? hahaha classic hasanah, selfish and demanding with her main-character syndrome. 

hmm for my birthday, my cliche wish would be the things I pray for everyday kot haha boleh dak lagutu? the not-so-cliche one is for everyone who reads this to have his/her wishes granted! (mcm cliche jugak je hahaha)

ah whatever, im just grateful. bye.

just bringing my own quote back lmao

me vs cooking

It's not like I didn't try okay?!?!

I do cook. but the food... *smiles painfully*

I took cooking seriously when I started my diet few months ago but I don't think this should be counted as a way to improve such skill because? my diet food... was... a bit.. jdkjdksdjksjjhgdj

OK not a bit, it's VERY bland. therefore it should not be put in the list of things-I-did-to-improve-my-cooking. at. all. if there's ever a resume, the only experience I could put was all the time i was in the kitchen helping my parents, and even that can't help me to be a good, determined cook. I was only helping anyway :(

so now I feel like I have to start from zero. again. hihi.

but honestly, don't worry about me. bc heeelllo? I got the first thing ticked off already ok? which is ...my will. my will to cook. so I can assure you I am going to do fine. I also think that I got the second thing on my list ready— cooking videos from Youtube. phew, the amount of videos I had saved, you can't tell me that I am not going to make it. i AM going to make it. Watch me.

Besides, I often dream of making my own bekal. and it's not a typical bekal that I dreamed of, it's the aesthetic ones where they've got cute cut of veges and fruits, omelet, cute mountain of rice covered in sprinkles of seaweed, with marinated chicken pops or fried chicken pops or baked salmon or marinated beef strips, all arranged prettily in one bento bekal. wow. see, I dreamed of getting into that stage already. that means I already have VISIONS, alright? I am going to do fine! it's no biggie! *smug face*

Lastly, the most important thing I did which tells that this is a serious business for me is, I had uninstalled the glory app for a lazy cook a busy, career woman like me ......foodpanda! done and dusted. away from my phone. see my determination? unmatched. unprecedented. unparalleled. 

so what do you think? I am going to make it, kan? kan kan?

as the saying goes, when there's a will, there's a... *stutters* wa-ay! *laughs nervously* right?

on a serious note, yes, I do want to learn slowly. for me. for my little family in the future too insyaAllah ececei berangan. hahaha

Day 1: Universal Studios Japan!

waking up at 4.30 in the morning had never been as easy and exciting as this day (well, subuh was around 5.30am?) and Alyn and I (mostly me lol) wanted to turn up early at USJ! hence the early alarm. there were so many things I imagined seeing before I went there and to be able to actually turn those imaginations into reality? a total blessing! 

I think we waited for around an hour before the opening and the opening was so cuteeeeee, like the staff's synchronized greeting was so adorable.

and omg we waited out there in COLD. like it was so cold, super breezy and windy I would have been a frozen pole at the end of the wait if it ain't for my body heat!

by the time we passed through the gate, everyone was apparently running? so I thought— we should too right? LOL and we immediately ran to.......

HOGWARTS!

please you all need to know how excited I was for thisssss. even this blog name came from a spell from Harry Potter so bet!

and see how there weren't many people there? we were That early and by the time we came out, there were already so many people lining up for it. The 4D ride? was probably the best ride here, for real. We flew *dangerously* around the castle, with all real effects- heat, water, and even when the dementors came to suck(?) our soul. idk how they did it but I felt it through my bones. the spiders and the dementors were real by the way! never had I imagined that I would fly around the quidditch turf but we did that day and phewww, dreams do come real after all haha Alhamdulillah.

and then there was one more ride in Hogsmeade that we lined up for. that, too was fun hihi after we toured around, I felt really reluctant to walk out of Hogsmeade for other rides in USJ but there was no other choice anyway. I didn't pay for just Hogsmeade kan. lol

Jurassic City was next and I couldn't stop thinking of my nieces there. The dinosaurs ;A; we also hopped onto the sit of the roller coaster there and tbh it wasn't scary enough for me. bc o...kay...? 360 degree turn up above the sky? well. do better lol. I certainly wanted more when I was done. but strangely enough, the same night, I could feel the 360 degree turn in my sleep istg 

I want moreee!

and THEN, the turning-into-villain ride at the Minion Park. 

I. DID. NOT. EXPECT. THAT.

I screamed here louder than any ride there. on God, how could they let kids in for this? shjkdshdskd

after that, we strolled around the Hollywood City, the buildings were nicely built, it didn't have the Japan feel around it and I guess we could tick off LA out of our travel list now. while walking around we saw the Spiderman hall so we decided 'why not!' 

T'was fun too. Couldn't get enough of it all, never will. even until today, 3 weeks after huhu (tiber emo)

and and and nowwwwww, when I saw in the app that there was a Jujutsu Kaisen 4D show, I made a run for it. hehe. definitely worth it. why? 

because I. was. saved by THE Gojo sensei.

did I cry when he came out? Yeah.

Was being trapped in his ryoki tenkai THAT amusing? YEAH omg.

Was Alyn a victim of my multiple soft slaps as I sobbed? Yeah.

Was I offered a time to calm myself down as I walked out crying? Yeah.

never underestimate me when I get emotional :P

After the turmoil, we turned up at Hogsmeade one last time to try the butterbeeeerrrrr. Alyn said it was coke with butter in it. well. idk how to counter that so imma agree with her on that lol and whatever coke+butter it is, it was still so sedaaaaap T______T you think I'd get that taste if I put butter in my coke btw? Should I try? haha

Hogwarts at night was truly magnificent btw :") 

and then we rode kids' rides in the last minuteeeessss before the closing and we strolled around the whole USJ,  looking at the stuff they sell while soaking in the viewwww. who knows when is our next time kan? huhu

we went back feeeeeling soooo satisfied. Alhamdulillah.

The day was entertainingly tiring.

USJ entrance ticket: RM292 per person through KKDay. 

wanted to buy on Klook but it was sold out. and a few days after we bought the ticket, we decided we wanted the express pass but to no avail sbb sold out jugak :") that too would cost RM290+ kot. I highly suggest buying it! we didn't get the chance to, so if you wanna buy it, be early! 

Japan Trip: The Planning

this is way overdue as I am now safely back in Malaysia after my Japan trip but um, I would still love to write from the start, which was the planning of this all and how it came about. 

there was nothing special about how this was realised, really, but it was impromptu and I'd never even thought of going to Jap- heck, of ever going on a trip pun  ...until that one facetime where Alyn was at the end of the line, proposing, "Jom pergi Jepun?" 

and I laughed over it until I realised she was actually being serious. lmao. and I panicked bc woah, I really wanted to! because you see, at that point I'd never been oversea or rode any airplane, ever, so it was unimaginable for me that that plan was going to come through. so if it ever did happen, it'd be THE many firsts for me. besides, we'd only have two months to plan everything.

but even then, Alhamdulillah it did! happen! I went to Japan. with my best friend.

the hunt for the flight tickets was hell though, at least for me. bc I couldn't stop hoping that we'd get the best deal (=cheap tickets haha) The hunt was done over the course of several days, with the help of my sister who's an avid traveler and Alyn? welp. after dumping the proposal to me, she HAD to leave me on my own for her exam. I was pretty sure she worried more for me than her exam though, because I. was. just being frantic all over. until I finally sealed the deal— the dates and the flight tickets. (big special thanks to Kak Anih!)

Now onto our itinerary.

I had to wait until Alyn wrapped her exam, which by then, a month to go for our trip.

The plan was: Alyn finished exam ---> straight away come to sleepover at my house ---> do itinerary together ---> done!

but this girl ditched me over a date on the day we were supposed to start our itinerary. 

and I rolled my eyes, real hard. I believe I cried and did the dramatic "WHYYYYY?? HOW COULD CHU DO THIS TO MEEEE??? *sobs uncontrollably*" too? :P

bc pls, at one month to go, we hadn't done anything. hotels, what day at which region, necessary advanced tickets— none shshjhd so when Alyn came, we worked our fingers to the bones for our itinerary. pls, even deciding which days at which region pun pening haha and we Had to write the details down for fear of getting the dates wrong. 

 looking at it now pun tak faham. hshshhs

getting through our day-by-day itinerary was such a hassle. nevertheless it was such a fun experience for me,  even with all the little fights and laughs over our stupidity (most of it was Alyn's :P) haha

and after the sleepover, Alhamdulillah everything was set! All we had to do was wait. and for me it felt like someone had removed a huge stone from my back as I got to go to school ...happier than ever.

 

I'll continue in my next post for my Day 1 - USJ if I rajin wkwkwkwk and 

and I will. be. rajin 😤 sbb I am still excited to write about it! (for now) lol

On this, the budgets were:

Accommodations: RM910 (for both of us, at three different stays)

Flight tickets: Scoot Airlines - transit @ SG. RM1.2k + RM400++ (luggage) each