The Drought Was The Very Worst

 Hello 2022!

Ironic considering there's only 4 days left in 2022 but hey better late than never?

A lot has happened in 2022.

Okay after writing that I can't recall what is a lot. I guess turning 30 is showing it's impact

Mei Jing and I moved in together in Sep 2021

I went to Boise, Idaho in June 2022

Attended 6 weddings which cost me more than Malaysia's minimum wage.

Okay perhaps not much happened in 2022.

All in all, 2022 is an okay year.

Interest hikes and inflation is not okay

But at the end of the day

We are all still here scraping by

At least Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is coming out in May 2023!

Here's to a better year ahead!

 

When The Butterflies Turned To Dust That Covered My Whole Room

Hello 2021!

2021 felt no different than 2021 but sweet mother of god it's already end of June.

There are no signs of the pandemic slowing down and everything pretty much remained the same as the first lockdown started.

2021 was supposed to be the year I travel to New Zealand on a working holiday for 6 months.

Well at least I'm still working in 2021.

When I first talked about the working holiday plans, Mei Jing was a bit sad of the thought of being apart for at least 6 months.

It's 2021, I'm still in Malaysia and we have been apart for 6 months

Oh Well

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Hopefully things will get better

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At least Breath of the Wild 2 has news after 2 years

Here's to hoping 2022 will be a better year with Pokémon Legends Arceus and potentially Breath of the Wild 2 coming out.

It seems I will be spending most of my time in 2022 the same as 2020 and 2021. 

Being a social recluse on my PC and Switch.

Stay home and stay safe everyone

Here's a picture at the start of the year when we thought 2021 will be so much better

Also I haven't had a haircut for 6 months now

My Castle Crumble Overnight

 In a blink of an eye, another year has passed

This truly is a year unlike any other

It's a year that makes us truly reflect what matters the most to us

It makes us think again what truly is important and needs to be cherished

To be honest, 2020 hasn't changed me much. I was evolving into a recluse anyways

2020 derailed my plans on going on a working holiday in NZ in Jan 2021.

I always had this thought that no matter how bad the day was, I just need to hang on until Jan 2021 when I can finally escape and explore NZ.

I've always wanted to backpack around a country on my own for a long time. Back when I just graduated, I worked part time in hopes to save enough money to backpack the entire SEA starting from Ho Chi Minh City.

While working part time, I did apply for some random jobs here and there as an engineer. In one of the interviews, the hiring manager gave me a reality slap. He asked why am I wasting my time on a part time job when I should be serious about building my career. 

Well I was young, dumb and definitely broke, that interview scared me into finding a full time job as an engineer and forgo my backpacking plans.

After getting my first job, that is when my morphing into a social recluse starts.

Looking back into my AIESEC years, I can't imagine how I was able to be so youthful and full of hope.

But hey, not everything is loom and gloom.

Stepping into adulthood made me learn sometimes not everything will turn out the way you wanted.

2020 is definitely a year of that.

So here I am, spending the last few hours of 2020 at home writing this

Don't get me wrong

I am not sad

I am grateful to be where I am today

I've gotten through most of 2020 still having a job

Still having the people most important to be around

I am content

My dreams and plans may got derailed but all it takes is just a little more planning to re-align everything back again.

Here's to a better year ahead

I wish you all to be thankful and remain hopeful

Better days are coming

Just go Genting and strike gold

Stay home

Stay safe

Spread hope

Not hate

I'm always thankful to have 2 sisters who constantly share otter and dog videos on Instagram

All I want is Nothing More ,To hear You Knocking at My Door

Hello 2020!

Expected flying cars but all we got was wildfires, government implosion and a virus pandemic.

Well.... fuck

Every single decision you made in your life has led you to this very moment. Reading this very line.

I hope whoever you are reading this. You are content with how far you come in life.

Everyone grows up. That is inevitable. We grow up in 2 ways. Physically and mentally.

However not often those 2 grow up concurrently.

That's why sometimes you meet some people who are immature or some people who appear wiser than their age.

There are few phases of mental growth.

When we are small, that's the childhood phase. We are innocent, playful and eager to learn about the world around us. 

As we grow up, we enter the teenage phase. Rebellious and always want to be treated like an adult. Often times you will always want to go out meet your friends and spend on random things with the money you don't even earn.

Growing out of that phase it the youthful phase. We enter a stage of life where we seek to find our purpose in life. More than often we would like to do something to create an impact on the society. We are highly motivated and the all the possibilities seems endless. There is no limit to what we can do and achieve.

Finally we enter the adult life. Life don't seem as colorful as it used to and the bills and responsibility starts to pile up. We start to sacrifice the ambitions in our youth and move on to the more realistic paths. 

Sometimes people grow up and enter the adulthood but their mental stage is still at the teenage stage. That is the most dangerous combination. Imagine being a reckless teen with the spending power of a working adult. These people are those who are willing to take up a personal loan to buy the latest gadgets or the trendiest outfits.  

We came into the world with nothing and we will leave the world in the same way. 

Time is never your friend.

The day you are born, the clock starts ticking.

You don't want to look back at your life and have nothing to feel but regrets.

Grow up please.

These are just my random rantings of the observations of the people I've met in my life.

Gotta post something at least once a year so this blog don't die along my hopes and dreams

Anyhow

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Here's to looking for better days ahead.

Stay home, stay safe

So Casually Cruel In The Name Of Being Honest

How long before that bubble burst? Can two people of different realities be happy with each other?

As I grow older, material things seems to matter less and thoughts and relationships truly does matter more.

Maybe we were young we do not have the means to get the things we want. We always have to rely on our parents to get it for us. Once I step into adulthood, I just find those items don't matter as much as they do when I was young anymore.

Perhaps after working, I realized money doesn't come by easy and it is not worth to spend so much on material things.

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I thought I was over the emo, cryptic, attention seeking phase but here I am being emo and cryptic and spamming Paramore, Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance on my playlist

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Being an adult is being able to afford KFC for every meal.

Being mature means if you eat KFC for every meal you're gonna go broke and die early.

We Could Leave the Christmas Lights Up 'til January

"There are 2 kinds of people out there.
Those who are truly happy for you and spread positivity.
Those who claimed to be happy for you but are just full of envy and spite."

Hello 2019!

I might be 8 months late but hey it's the first and most probably last blog post of 2019!

Waaaay back in 2015, I came up with this list:

Things I want to do in life:

1. See snow.
2. Go bungee jumping.
3. Visit Paris and Tokyo
4. Watch Taylor Swift live.
5. Go on an exchange  
6.  So many things

You can have a look at the post here

4 years later, I am proud to have said I am able to cross out 1.5 of the items in the list.

Things I want to do in life:

1. See snow.
2. Go bungee jumping.
3. Visit Paris and Tokyo
4. Watch Taylor Swift live.
5. Go on an exchange  
6.  So many things

I HAVE SEEN SNOW FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE

For those of you have been with me since my whimsical high school years, I've always go around ranting about how I've always wanted to see snow and why Malaysia no snow D: I was not prepared for this. I went up to Jungfraujoch wearing 2 thin layers and a windbreaker. Nonetheless it was an amazing experience to being able to see something I've always wanted to see in my entire life.

Everyone asked me why didn't I propose it's because I can only afford super rings instead of a diamond ring.

The other 0.5 item from my list is visit Paris. Way back in 2015, I don't know why I put that on my list to be honest. But Paris was nice. I wouldn't say it's amazing, partly because it smells a bit like pee at some places and I almost got pick pocketed on my first day there. The buildings there are no joke tho. 

It really is a beautiful city.

Aside from Paris, I've went to 5 other towns/cities during my 2 weeks in Europe:

London

Strasbourg

Basel

Interlaken

Bern

You can see more of the photos if I ever decided to post it on Facebook. I might or might not come up with the itinerary. 

To those of you who always wanted to travel to your dream place, just go for it. 

To those who think I am loaded, I am not.

It took me a few years to save up for this. 

It wasn't easy but it is possible.

I am glad I am able to share this experience with the people I care about the most.

As you grow older, priorities change. 

As you grow older, your circle of friends grows smaller as well. 

As you grow older, you'll start to cherish the people who have been with you since the beginning. 

As you grow older, you'll appreciate family.

Ann why you no red shoes??

I'll end this post with my favorite polaroid.

Look At That Face, You Look Like My Next Mistake

If you're not willing to give, what gives you the right to take everything? Life is simple. There are times you have to give in order to take. If you expect to go through life by taking everything and not giving back anything, you'll either walk a lonely path or make a lot of enemies along the way.

There will be moments in your life when you have to burn bridges and walk away from the toxicity. Just cut off all ties. It'll be healthier.

Hello 2018!

Well technically it's 3 months going to 4 months into 2018 but hey this is the first post of 2018. It's been a while since I have the feeling to rant post something on this blog space. As I've always said every year, I ain't gonna let this blog dieeeeeeeeee.

Looking back in 2017, there are a lot of things to be thankful for. I had the opportunity to travel to Hanoi and Luang Prahang.

Finally get to see Sa Pa! It is as amazing as I imagined it to be

Tak Dak in Luang Prabang

2017 is probably the year I stayed more within my comfort zone and cherish the people around me. Life has settled down to a routine where I just got comfortable with being anti-social after work on weekdays and bringing my mom out for movies in the weekends. I have no life

Some people may find that dull. But hey I am content. It made me realize how much I cherish the people around me, especially everyone who stayed on all these while.

Things to look for in 2018:

Making moments into memories

Exploring new places

Eat EVERYTHING

Appreciate and keep the people that matters the most

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Here's to another great year!

Stay with me always

It Was Rare, I Was There, I Remember It All Too Well

How long will two realities be able to coexist before eventually falling apart and destroying each other?

Hello 2017! I know it's already April July August but it's still the first blog post of 2017. In just a glimpse, another year has passed. 2016 has been a year of major changes. A change from student to working adult, a change from being a carefree youth to paying bills, rent, student loan and learning how to be a functional adult without any proper user manual. Heck I even change jobs!

The world and everything is constantly moving and if you keep on holding on to the past or regrets you'll be swept away and always wonder why things can't ever be the same as they used to. Sometimes you think back, how can you be able to relate to someone so well but as the years pass by both of you slowly drift apart until both of you become almost strangers?

Facebook has the On This Day thing where you can see cringey post from the past. It's funny to see yourself grow and become so different than the sakai 5 years ago. I can say I have changed from an immature kid who wants to be a special snowflake in high school, to a passion driven youth leader motivated to create an impact, then to struggling engineering student who worries about not being able to grad but still want to skip class because cannot wake up, to a lost graduate seeking for the career path to follow and now to a social recluse who wants to meet and know more people in the new job but can't seem to know how to say a simple hello.

So back to where I am now. I've recently started a new job and I seem to forget how to make friends lolol. Sometimes the things I do, I can't really understand why I do it. For instance, I changed jobs because I got offered a new job which I don't know why I applied for. I randomly applied on Jobstreet although I was quite contempt with my current post. After that random application, I got offered and here I am now in a new company wondering why did I left my old company in the first place.

Prior to starting this new job, I went to Luang Prabang on a solo backpacking trip. I was hoping to rediscover the excitement I felt when I went solo to Jogja two years ago. Luang Prabang gave me a different experience and a new perspective on solo travelling. It was not a bad experience but it was not a great one to be honest.

Being a UNESCO site, everything in Luang Prabang is expensive D: I am a budget traveler although now that I have started working I can afford to splurge more, the Asian cheapskate-ness is too strong in me. This is why I felt so happy in Indonesia where everything is cheap and free. Most of the temples and pretty places in Luang Prabang requires entrance fees and it's not cheap. Surprisingly the items bought from the night market can be very cheap if you know how to haggle. The town is quite small so most places are in walking distance which is nice. I didn't get to see the blue lagoons of Kuang Si though due to unfortunate circumstances.

Although the trip was not how I expected it to be, it was still nice being able to go to Laos for the first time. I am not left with Myanmar, Cambodia and Philippines and I can complete my ASEAN list.

The temples are no joke. Really beautiful

The lanterns seem pretty and all but how to bring back

Thinking back, the place I felt most fun was in Jogja. I can't say it's Ho Chi Minh because I have spent a lot of time there and it's almost like a second home so it would be very biased. Next destination? Bromo, Kinabalu, Yangon, Hoi An, Chiang Mai, France and New Zealand! The last 2 would prob be at least 2 years for sis convo in France and 5 years before I hit the age limit to apply for a working holiday visa.

Oh wells, maybe the next update will be a year from now after my next random adventure!

It Looks Like You Might Be One of Us

How often do you meet people who are so in sync with you?

When will you be able to find someone like that again?

Time passes and reality changes. We won't be in the same place all the time. Sooner or later we will get swept away by the ever changing reality. The people I've felt most in sync with is the people I met in high school. If you kept us all away from each other for years, we will still be able to talk and reconnect as though we haven't lost a day. As I grow older, post high school and into form 6 then into uni, I don't really meet many more people who can be in sync as the people I've met in high school. Perhaps it's because my high school is more English ed and as I enter form 6, uni and into working life, I've met less and lesser of English ed people. Don't get me wrong. I don't mind mixing with everyone regardless of their education background and upbringing. It's just I've felt a sense of belonging and serenity when I met and interact with English educated people. The joy of engaging in a conversation with someone who can see and understand your views as well as provide an input. The bliss of engaging in retarded humor. Honestly speaking, I miss all that. 

'Cause, Darling, I'm A Nightmare Dressed Like A Daydream

So 3 months after I rant about crying about threshold values, I am back! I refuse to let this blog die lolll.

So a little update. The last time I was here I was struggling and even contemplate on extending my studies because I can't find a solution to my final year project. Somehow someway I managed to complete it and although it's not the best project, hey a pass is a pass at that stage of the semester. So about a month ago, I've unofficially graduated!

To celebrate finally surviving engineering school, I sold a kidney and went on a backpacking trip to Jogjakarta, Indonesia. Okay I didn't sell my kidneys but I went to Indonesia!

Indonesia was supposed to be a Global Passport intern reunion but due to unfortunate circumstances, everyone bailed out. I've already bought the flight tickets for a kidney, I will not late my kidney go to waste and proceed with the trip alone.

So what do you call a fully planned guided tour turned into a last minute solo backpacking trip? 

An adventure of a lifetime. 

I've done a fair bit of travelling on my own but usually when I arrive there will be people guiding me around. A solo adventure seems nerve wrecking but it was truly one of the best experience I've had so far. The carefree feeling of wandering to random places slowly discovering the gems of Jogja is so liberating.

Hello Borobudur!

The most amazing part of my trip was when I decided to rent a bike and drove 72 km to a beach just because I feel like it. I know how to drive a bike but I've never drove that far and that long and to somewhere I have no idea how to go. But sometimes in life, you just have to let go of all your fears and just do whatever you've always wanted to do.

Hello from Pantai Timang!

I almost died a few times on the way there but when I see the blue waters, I knew this was worth the journey.

The rest of my adventure can be seen on Facebook haha. My point here is that there is always a few things someone gotta try in order to make them a better person.

One, work in retail or f&b line and you'll understand better how to be a nicer person. Sometimes we gets too selfish in getting what we want we often forget the feelings of others and become a total ass. If you work retail assistant or a waiter before, you'll be able to relate. It may not be our culture but tipping can really make a waiter's day. Imagine after going through a long shift, a customer tip you as a token of gratitude for your service. It'll make the waiter feel appreciated. However the same thing can't be applied if the service is bad. If the waiter is being a total ass then screw him hahaha.

Second, go on a solo adventure. Only that time you'll be able to discover yourself. You will be someone you never thought you can be. If you're always staying in the same small circle you're comfortable in, you'll miss out on so much in life. There is more to life than the daily routines we do everyday. Our days are always numbered, do you want to fill the last page of your book with the same pages as before? If you don't have the money for it, sell a kidney!  Okay just kidding don't sell a kidney maybe another organ?

Oh and HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY MALAYSIA!

We may always complain about how expensive things are and how stupid the politicians can be but deep down, we'll always be proud of our awesome Penang Malaysian Food

Magic, Madness, Heaven, Sin

Hello 2016! well technically I'm 4 months and 27 days late but hey this is my first blog post of 2016. 2016 is a year of.... well it's just like every other year except I have one extra day in February to procrastinate lolol.

At this point of life, I'm well deep into the final semester of my degree life. I am.... to be honest still as clueless as ever about what to do and what will I do in the near future. You won't realize how fast time goes until you are almost at the end of your journey. Frankly speaking I can't really believe it's been 4 years since I first left home and stepped into Pahang. 

There are moments in life where you wish time would just stop and you can live that moment forever. But that's when reality kicks in and you gotta move on and stay in the present. To be honest although I've complained so much about being in Pahang, the past 4 years have been awesome. The people I've met and the experiences that I've gained. I'm still immature sometimes but the past 4 years have leveled me up a lot. 

Well I can't say I'm competent as an engineer. I'm still working on that part but I am getting competent as an adult stepping into the potential working world. I'm ever thankful for the experience I've gained through AIESEC, Without it I feel I will still be the kid who waste money and time. Well I do still waste time but I've become more financially responsible lolol. AIESEC triggered my wanderlust spirit and in a way it made me manage my finances better. I've worked countless part time jobs and skipped countless meals D: but honestly the people and the things I get to see when I go around, it's truly priceless. Money can buy a lot of things and the best thing it can buy is experience. If you've always hesitant but always wanted to explore the world, just do it. Work part time jobs. Save money. Spending on yourself is not a waste, it's an investment. By seeing more things you'll be able to think in a broader perspective. When we die, all we are left with are memories. No one want to die with regrets. 

So here I am, telling people to live their dreams while I procrastinate and pray to god for answers in my final year project coding lolol. Okay.

Not a real obsessed Korean drama fan but this show is so good. 

One day I will find someone who looks at me like the way Kang Mo Yeon look at Yoo Si Jin. I wish

One of the rare nights I've regained that creative spark that kept me happy for so many years

One of the best thing I've tasted in Pahang. Mango Cheesecake by Kula Cakes. I wish I can bring this back and share with everyone in Penang.

On a side note, Happy birthday Ong Ying Peh!

I still remember the first moment I met you. You were like " Hey you're from Penang? Next time go back by bus I follow you!" That is how a friendship was formed, from the desire to go back home on the first week of university. Thank you for being the one person I can count on and save me from the academic blackholes. It's awesome to meet someone who loves food and cakes and hipster cafe joints. The time to part will be soon but hopefully we'll keep in touch and perhaps meet somewhere in Vietnam over a bowl of Phở bò.

Okay time to get back to crying over why my threshold value is wrong.

But Every Night With Us Is Like A Dream

Sometimes all it takes us for us to look up at the stars and realize how small we are.

Pride. Greed. Envy. If you follow the going on around the world you'll surely be shocked by the attack on Paris. A normal reaction from an attack so horrid would be to sympathize and mourn for the innocent lives lost. But humans are fickle things. We are more driven by our sins. Envy. Instead of mourning for Paris, some people would rather say they will not stand selective media and mourn for the attacks on Syria, Beirut and various other atrocities happening all over the world. In order to feed their pride, they will try not to be mainstream and protest against Facebook having a filter just for France. They are so desperate to get noticed, they'll be willing to say anything. Social media plays a huge part in everyone's lives. It stays alive by capitalizing on our fickle nature. We feel happy when a post get a tonne of likes, we get jealous when someone's got more shares and comments on the same post you shared, we can't get enough attention. Sometimes I wonder if the world have always been this way or was I too young to notice the reality.

So.... it's been forever since I write something here. Actually it's only been slightly over a month haha. I think i say this before but usually I only post when I have a random thought I want to rant but do not want to post it on Facebook. Ironically after writing this I will share onto Facebook lolol.

It's been 3 years and counting since I've come to Pahang. Initially when I first arrive and saw the cows, I thought I won't be able to do anything here but study and stare at the trees. Now, 3 years later, although I still stare at the trees and cows but didn't do much studying, I managed to experience a lot of things I thought I wouldn't been able to try. I've traveled a lot on my own. Learned to be more independent and not die on a random street somewhere.

So in the latter half of the mid semester break I went to Kuching to attend Qiu Xi's convocation. First time stepping on East Malaysia!

The fooooood. Actually I ate whole lot more but I forgot to take pictures of them heh

Congratulation Yong Sue Teng! Thank you for being my tour guide when Qiu Xi is busy 

Congratulation Loo Qiu Xi! Who knew your outspoken personality would help you own uni :P Thank you for hosting me and bringing me around doing what I love the most, EATTTT. It was fun being in Sarawak.

But.... reality kicks in and I gotta write 3 chapters of Thesis in two weeks lolol

Heartbreak is The National Anthem

"They say love is based on effort. I say that is a lie. Love is about meeting expectations. Let's say you wanted cold water. I put all my effort and fan the water so it's cold but one day someone comes along and puts ice in your water and that person turns out to be all you're looking for. Love is not something wholly based on effort. Its about meeting expectations." -Anonymous

Every time I write something I'll always say it's been ages since I posted here and well it's kinda true for every post. Once a while when I have a random thought I'll blog about it but these days random thoughts are getting scarce.

So as I step into final year, so many things is coming to an end. The final monsoon. The final year of playing frisbee. The final year of getting late to class because a cow blocked the road like a boss. The final year of looking at pictures of Hokkien Mee to keep your sanity. The final year to drive 7 hours just to get back home. The final year to stress about how much food to store to prepare for the winter. The final year to argue pointlessly on Facebook about extremist university rules which forbids my sexy knobbly knees.

Final year comes with a lot of final chances to do so many things. It's closer to the beginning of a new chapter in life. A lot of times I worry about what am I going to do with my life after I grad, if i grad *touches wood*. To be honest my short term goal is now to work and earn as much as I can so I can be able to see as much of world before I am confined to an office looking at a screen for the next 30 years of my life.

But for now I just hope everything goes well in the final year.

I miss Penang hipster foooood

UMP lyfe, trying to be a Pokemon Master

The beware of cows crossing sign ain't a lie

True love is how a dog look it's owner

Turtles can be hipsters too

I LOVEEEEEE BEACHES

and playing frisbee in the sun

#thuglife

Bae Suzy <3

Everything is volatile.