Extreme Charity

Today is supposed to be my turn to present a speech. I participated in a race to complete all of the project within the Toastmasters communication manual. But, because I basically tend to procrastinate, no surprise there that I would be preparing my materials on the last minute.

I remember a couple of projects at the end of the communication manual was pretty easy to do. So, I thought, "Arghh... Alright I'll give it  ago." I notified my VP of Education that I'll try to make up something but I can't promise anything (so she won't expect much). I tried to thought of a topic that was something I know very well of and very passionate about. I know I've always been good about giving, doing charity, and actually has a couple of good experience regarding that, so I chose the topic "extreme charity". Afterwards I chose a project that will suit my topic - which I had decided on "persuade with power". To be honest, I thought it was a difficult project to do, but looks like I nailed it!

WHAT IS EXTREME CHARITY?
It's an odd name, isn't it? I translated it directly from the phrase "sedekah ekstrim" in Bahasa Indonesia, which literally is "extreme charity". So, extreme charity is an act of charity where you give up a large sum of your wealth which the amount would make you feel very nervous and worried about giving it away.

Some of the famous people who give away a large chunk of their wealth to charity, who is also known as philantrophists, includes Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Warren Buffet. From the sirah nabawiyah, we know the famous story of Abu Bakar who donated all of his wealth for the development of Islam.

WHY YOU SHOULD TRY EXTREME CHARITY?
1. It will give you sense of happiness and make you feel richer
2. No one has ever become poor from giving
3. Empowering our those in need
3. God's math is not 1+1=2

Because I'm Proud of My Identity

Blog ini memang dari awal sengaja ingin dibuat dwi bahasa, suka-suka penulisnya lagi kepingin pakai bahasa apa :). Dan kali ini sepertinya lebih mudah mengutarakan cerita ini dengan bahasa Indonesia. So, here we go...

Identitasku sebagai seorang Muslim selalu aku bawa kemana-kemana. Orang akan mudah mengenali bahwa aku adalah seorang wanita Muslim. Ya, jilbabku yang selalu dengan indahnya menutupi auratku sejak kelas 1 SMA.

Akhir-akhir ini fenomena Islamophobia semakin menjadi-jadi di Australia. Mulai dari reaksi terhadap Lindt Cafe siege dan kemudian insiden penembakan di Parramatta. Selalu ada rasa was-was di hatiku setiap kali berjalan di area publik di suburb yang mayoritas penduduknya adalah non-Muslim karena tidak jarang juga Muslim (terutama wanita) mengalami tindakan rasis. Alhamdulillah, aku beruntung bekerja di perusahaan yang menjunjung tinggi perbedaan dan memiliki kolega yang memperlakukan aku sama seperti yang lain.

Hari Jumat lalu adalah salah suatu hari dimana aku sangat bangga pada diriku, terutama sebagai seorang Muslim. Manajerku mempersembahkan sebuah penghargaan bagiku di dalam pertemuan business update di kantor di hadapan orang banyak yang mayoritas non-Muslim. Saat itu adalah saat dimana akhirnya aku bisa menunjukkan ke khalayak ramai bahwa orang Islam juga bisa berprestasi. Dan aku tidak perlu banyak bercuap-cuap, cukup aksiku saja yang membuktikannya. Because action is louder than words. 

Penghargaan itu aku dapatkan untuk kontribusiku selama hampir satu tahun terakhir. I've been juggling between three things: BAU, adhocs, and volunteering, and never dropping the ball (based on managers' testimonial). Sejujurnya aku merasa kerjaku kurang optimal dibandingkan tahun lalu, tetapi alhamdulillah for everything. Setidaknya aku dihargai lebih dari sekedar gaji. I love my job.

My First Ever Interview

On Saturday morning, I was checking my office email for some reason (don't follow this!). I found an email from my colleague who is currently handling one of the initiative that was formerly mine. The initiative was employee profile, where an associate gets nominated by their managers to be interviewed. The result of the interview would then be published in company's Yammer group.

I scanned through the recipient list and said to myself, "why does she need to copy me on this?". I didn't realise until I read through the whole email that I was nominated to be interviewed this time! I read through the testimonial that my manager and her manager gave why I deserve to be featured. It's really sweet of them. I don't think I've done a better job compared to last year, but I'm definitely grateful to be appreciated for my efforts.

There were 7 questions in total that I needed to complete. Three questions were quite easy because it was only asking about my role and myself. Three questions were super difficult and one question I couldn't answer at all hahaha.

"Get To Know Me" Tag

I was thinking of doing some random posts about myself, but could not decide what to reveal. So, I went onto search for 'tag' questions! I found this "Get To Know Me" 21 questions tag on Ysis Lorna's blog and I think it's appropriate. Let's get started...

1. Are you named after anyone? Yes! My mum and dad used to listen to a radio station and the name of the announcer is "Dita".

2. When was the last time you cried? Just last week when mum was about to return to Indonesia. I cried because she said, "why do you have to be so far away?" Perhaps it never crossed my mum's mind that her daughter will be living 7 hours and $700-$1000 away from her.

3. Do you have kids? No.

4. If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself? Yeah! But I would think that I'm a boring person.

5. Do you use sarcasm a lot? No, I think about other people's feeling before saying things.

6. Will you ever bungee-jump? Yes, but it has to be with a very trusted facilitator.

7. What’s your favorite cereal? Anything chocolatey. But if I have to choose one, it has to be Milo.

8. What’s the first thing you notice about people?The way they smile and greet other people.

9. What is your eye colour? Brown.

10. Scary movie or happy endings? Happy endings, but not the one that would make me cry. I've given up on horror movies after I put on Ju-On on a cloudy day with thunderstorm and lights off.

11. Favorite smells? Lemon/orange blossom, wet grass after the rain, good perfume (can't really pick, torn between J'adore Dior, Chanel Chance eau Fraiche, and something-else-that-I-can't-recall)

12. Summer or winter? Summer. I just can't do anything if it's too cold, too lazy to move.

13. Computer or television? Computer! I can live without TV (and had done that for 2 years), but not without a computer.

14. What’s the furthest you’ve ever been from home? Either Sydney, Australia or Tokyo, Japan... but both destinations takes 7 hours flight from Jakart.

15. Do you have any special talents? People will tell me I have talent in design. What do I think of myself? Not too sure, but I sure know that I don't have the skills to sell.

16. Where were you born? Indonesia.

17. What are your hobbies? Learning new things, baking, design, photography.

18. Do you have any pets? No, and I'm generally the worst at taking care of other living things. So, forget about pets.

19. Favourite movie? Don't really have a favourite. Hopefully you don't think I'm boring :D.

20. Do you have any siblings? Yes.

21. What do you want to be when you grow up? Simple (but hard) - being successful! That includes both my professional and personal lives.

My Hajj Miracle Story - Pt.2

ALLAH DOESN'T CALL ON THE WEALTHY, BUT ENABLES THOSE WHO HAVE THE CALLING

Alhamdulillah we will have sufficient amount of money to go for hajj, but the problem doesn't really stop there. The hajj service that we used is one of the popular one amongst Indonesians, so we had to book it fast. We inquired about the price around October 2013 and we were told that there are only few seats left. So, if we're interested we need to registered ASAP. Usually quotas won't be full until a couple of months before the month of hajj.

We were in panic because we haven't done our homework on comparing the price of different hajj travel services and were also told that we had to pay $2000 for deposit to secure a seat for next year's hajj. We didn't even have that kind of money in our savings. But alhamdulillah, with basmallah (and faith to Allah) we were able to scrape money from other budgets and pay the deposit. A month after that we were trying to get by with little money, but alhamdulillah we were able to manage and it was all well worth it.

IN CONCLUSION

Most people will wait until they achieve everything, especially finance independency before going for hajj. But I'm very grateful for the choice that we made. There are a lot of places in Makkah and Madinah where prayers will no-doubt will be granted (inshaaAllah). And alhamdulillah, since returning from hajj, Allah has made our life much easier. The homework now is to maintain our ibadah to show our gratitude to the Almighty. 

My Hajj Miracle Story - Pt.1

I consider myself very lucky because I was able to go for hajj when I was still in my 20's and without my parents financial aid. Me and husband had the opportunity to practice hajj in 2014. In that year, Arafah day fell on a Friday, which is considered the best day of the week.

A lot of people asked me "what miracles did you encounter?" when I had just returned from hajj. I got confused because I don't think there were anything particular things that stood out. But when I went on to tell the story of how I even get to go for hajj in 2014, someone said "that's your miracle".

HANG YOUR DREAMS 5CM IN FRONT OF YOUR FOREHEAD
In the book "5 cm" by Donny Dhirgantoro, there is a quote "hang your dreams 5 cm in front of your forehead , so that you can remember and strive to reach it".

I'm a firm believer that one should always keep a written list of what he/she wants to achieve or have a visual reminder. It may sound silly, but I believe it plays a part in achieving your dream. So, when I was still a student in university, I created a list of things to achieve in life. One of the points in the list says, "go to hajj before 35 yrs old." I was a bit doubtful when I wrote "35 yrs old". But then I thought, "you know what, anything is possible for Allah."

Then, when I first started working in 2011, I setup a picture of Ka'bah as my desktop background. My friend said, "wah, masang gambar ka'bah di laptop". I said, "Yes :) I'm going to go there someday". The Ka'bah desktop background was my visual reminder. I see it almost everyday. And even when I don't think about it, I believe the universe conspires to help me achieve it.

FROM A 10-YEAR PLAN, TO JUST 1-YEAR

After two years of marriage, our household income is still just enough to get us by and set aside some savings, alhamdulillah. I wasn't working at that time and was constantly in stress because I used to be so active. I was praying night and day, begging to Allah to give me a job. And in the previous Ramadan, we sort of did the unthinkable, we gave all of our savings to charity.

Just one month before I finally got a job, husband and I were having conversation about saving up for Hajj. We made a target of going for hajj in 10 years, calculated the cost and also took into account the inflation, and finally calculated the monthly amount that we needed to save. We then made a commitment to save our money x amount each month for the next 10 years for Hajj.

About three months after we gave up all of our savings, alhamdulillah, finally Allah answered my prayers. I secured a contract position within the company I used to work for in Indonesia. It was only a contract position, but I'm grateful for anything. A contract position will do just fine.

So, I received my contract and began calculating the salary that I will be earning during the contract. Miraculously, the amount is just enough to pay for two person to go for hajj. I didn't know what was going on in my head. I could have thought of buying other things, but I was thinking about going for hajj (?). I was so excited and asked my husband if he would like to go for hajj the next year. Of course, he would say "yes!".

4 Reasons Why I Keep My Wardrobe Minimal

MINIMALISM
noun | min·i·mal·ism | \ˈmi-nə-mə-ˌli-zəm\
A style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity

I have just found Joojoo Azad's blog recently about minimalism (minimalist wardrobe). I (sort of) jumped into the "minimalism" wagon several months ago after I realised my closet is getting too full. When I moved to the new house, the new closet was even more screaming "I can't fit any more clothes!". I just can't comprehend how I was able to accumulate so many clothes.

I haven't really done any closet clean-up, because I still love my old clothes. So, what I'm trying to do now is to SHOP LESS. I did challenge myself to "no clothes shopping" for a year, but only managed to commit for 6 months (those darn SALE!). Something important I learned along the way, tho, is to buy only something that you will wear over and over again.

This is my 4 MAIN REASONS why I like to keep my closet minimal:

NO MORE OVERLOADED WARDROBE
As I have mentioned, since moving to the new place, the new wardrobe seemed to be screaming "I can't fit any more clothes!" The rack is just full with clothes to the extent that I wasn't able to slide the clothes easily. It takes quite a lot of energy if you have to forcefully separate the clothes while browsing through the rack. I said to myself, "I'm not going to add more clothes into the closet." - which I have already disobeyed because I just purchased sleeveless blazer from David Lawrence.

SAVE MORE MONEY
Do you realise how much money you spent on purchasing clothes? If you normally budget $100-200 a month on purchasing clothes, that is a whooping $1200-2400 a year! After seeing my closet really stuffed up, I tried to limit my shopping spree. In the first half of 2015 I only purchased one David Lawrence cashmere cape, and that was heavily discounted. I went a bit overboard on my my birthday though, but I still purchase discounted items which included a very pretty black trench from Portmans. And my most recent purchase is a sleeveless blazer from David Lawrence outlet. I don't have a sleeveless blazer, so it's a perfectly sound reason to purchase! In summary, within the past year, I only spent my hard earned cash on 5 pieces of clothing, which I think it's pretty good. Chaching!

CHOOSING OUTFIT IS NOW A BREEZE

Choosing an outfit is now down from 15 minutes to just 5 minutes. I have been so frustrated with the time it takes for me to choose an outfit to work! Until I found an article about someone who wears the same thing everyday (it's not that she doesn't wash her clothes, she just had multiple quantity of the same item). I thought, "hey, why don't I do that?". So, I did. I chose my basics (cardigan, t-shirt, chino pants/jeans) and stick with it. 

MORE APPRECIATIVE OF WHAT I HAVE
I know it's very easy to get bored of your wardrobe, but perhaps it's also time for you to learn to appreciate of what you already have. I now try to be more appreciative of the clothes that I have in my wardrobe. I have purchased my clothes for two reasons: I REALLY REALLY REALLY like them and I'm gonna wear them (many many times); so I try my best to get the thought "I'm bored of that outfit" out of my head.

***

UPDATE: If you're looking for information on how to start minimalist wardrobe, I find this website very informative. So, please do check it out!

30-day Minimalism Challenge - Pt.1

Today I tackled challenge #23 Go bare-faced pretty easily. Until very recently when I figured out the correct way to apply make up, I used to never wear any make up at all. So, I have been bare-faced a lot in the past.

Yesterday I was feeling like I was about to get sick as my throat has been sending the signal from the morning. I took Codral tablets to minimise the symptoms so it wouldn't get even worse. Unfortunately, the phenilyphrine really got me in the afternoon and I immediately fell into deep sleep when I reached home without taking off my make up! There I was sleeping through the night with full make up on.

By morning I felt really sorry for my skin and decided to give my face a break. I cleaned my face and apply the usual serum and moisturiser, then off I go to the office bare-faced. Gotta love those freckles and acne scars!

I'm so grateful that my skin has never been better. Although I have those freckles and acne scars, I'm still loving my skin. I was never able to afford the skincare products that I'm using now, but to be honest it's what makes all the difference. I love the fact that they actually work on my skin!

30-Day Minimalism Challenge

Tomorrow is a new month, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to start a 30-day Minimalism Challenge! I came across this challenge when I was searching for things related to "minimalist living". When I saw the list, I thought "oh, this is neat and it's a very good guide to de-clutter your life." So, I shared this challenge with several of my friends over on Path and they were also excited for it!

Before starting, I know some of the things listed has already been a habit and been done very recently, so I'm going to cross out the ones that I won't be doing in the next 30 days. I will be doing this in a random order, because you just can do challenge #1 on a working day!

DONE:

2 Meditate for fifteen minutes. I guess shalat would already be considered as meditation because it is a form of meditation, or that's how I like to view it.

7 Streamline your reading list. I have always been a slow reader, so I never have a long list of books to read. I usually try to decide my next book after I'm finished with the current one. Currently I'm still on "Managing Yourself" from the Harvard Business Review 10 Must-Read series. I'm hooked!

13 Clean out your closet. I have just recently moved house which already includes cleaning and streamlining my wardrobes. So, this one's ticked. I've also talked about minimising my wardrobe, I think it's good for everyone's wellbeing and you should definitely try it!

18 Unfollow and unfriend. I'm pretty selective with the people on my friend list. Sometimes I do find some random people which account used to be my 'real' friends (I don't know what happened, but that account just changed owners). I usually review their profile again and unfriend if necessary. But isn't it rude to unfollow and unfriend? You may not need to do it in the next 30-days, but I'm pretty much sure there will be some days you just want to unfollow or unfriend someone ;)

27 Clear out your junk drawer. This one also came along when I moved house. So, also ticked.

Review: Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate

I know by now that this product has been reviewed million times by beauty gurus, it is a cult favourite, and it is also one of Kiehl's 10 best selling products. But I just wanted to add in my two cents, because who knows if anyone out there would still benefit from my review :).

HOW I DISCOVERED THIS PRODUCT
Asking for free sample of a product was never in my dictionary (clueless!). I wanted to try both the Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution and the Midnight Recovery Concentrate, but not sure how to get the samples. So I was looking at their online store and found a special offer where you will receive deluxe sample (of Midnight Recovery Concentrate) with any purchase. So I purchased the Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution in full size and received the Midnight Recovery Concentrate in a mini size bottle for free.

HOW THIS PRODUCT FIT INTO MY ROUTINE
I usually use this product only at night after cleansing my face with face wash (La Roche Posay Effaclar) and exfoliate with Bioderma. Why? Because after the dead skin cells are stripped off of the skin, it will be much easier for the skin to absorb the serum. I don't wear any moisturiser after the Midnight Recovery Concentrate as it is already super hydrating. If I need to clear up some hyperpigmentation, I will apply the Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution first before the Midnight Recovery Concentrate.

HOW I USE THIS PRODUCT
I usually dispense the product right onto my face rather than on the hand and rub it on their hand palms like everyone else (well, not really everyone). Three drops is the perfect amount for my skin. I would drop the oils on to my right cheek, left cheek, and forehead, then distribute the product around my face. Then, I massage my face with warm hand palms by rubbing the two hands together to help the serum to penetrate into the skin.

WHAT DO I THINK OF THE PRODUCT
+ Sinks into the skin immediately, so it doesn't leave your face too oily.
+ You will be surprised at how plump and soft your skin is when you wake up!
+ Keeps your skin hydrated without needing moisturiser.
+ When used in conjunction with Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution, it will help fade your acne scar faster!
+ It smells beautiful. You can smell the strong lavender scent, which is very calming and relaxing, so it's perfect to be used before bedtime.
+ The packaging is gorgeous! I love the midnight blue colour of the glass bottle, so chic! And it also comes with pipette which helps to dispense the right amount of product.

CONCLUSION
I think this product works wonders to help your skin recover overnight from stress. I will absolutely repurchase as I don't think I can live without this product.

One bottle lasts me a really long time. I don't use this religiously (I'm never diligent with skincare or makeup). I've used up only one fifth of the product (30ml bottle) in more than 4 months, therefore I think it is worth the money. Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate currently retails for A$61.

Melbourne Trip - Pt.1

Another point on my bucket list ticked off!

I initially wanted a birthday which consists of dining at Jamie Oliver's restaurant, a bouquet of flowers, and perhaps a Tiffany&Co bracelet. Well, that didn't happen. Husband and I spent my birthday this year on a trip to Melbourne. It was totally unplanned because I impulsively bought a Jetstar ticket (you know those Jetstar deals that came into your inbox every Fridays? Yep, that one - I'm so guilty).

DEPARTING
Packing was sort of a pain because this is my first time taking Jetstar with only 7kg worth of luggage (14kg for both of us). I heard that Jetstar is quite strict with the baggage weight, so I made sure that everything was packed nicely and weighted precisely.

I told hubby to pack all his stuff before I go to bed the night before we're scheduled to depart because I will be doing the final weighing. He didn't really paid attention. So, the next morning when I opened one of our cabin luggage again, I found some stuff that aren't supposed to be there and posed risk to be confiscated (e.g. razor) *mad*.

At the airport, before our baggage got checked in the x-ray machine, I read the flyers nearby and made sure I don't have any dangerous goods in my luggage. After being scanned, our first luggage was pulled aside. I told hubby, "don't worry, probably it's just my toiletries. Hmm.. but I'm sure it shouldn't be a problem." When the officer opened my luggage, there was a can of hair mousse. Only one person can be guilty of this > husband! I was so angry at him, I told him, "when did this thing got into the luggage?! I already told you not to bring it!". He said, "but you didn't tell me why I couldn't bring it." Really? *sigh*.

HOTEL
We stayed at the Causeway Inn at the Mall. We booked the hotel via hotelclub.com. I think the price is quite reasonable, we got it for $114 (twin bed). I didn't mind a twin bed; we're going to be out and about most of the day anyway.

We did get free continental breakfast daily with our booking. It's no fancy breakfast as you only get a selection of fruit, toast, and croissant, but I think it's enough to stuff our tummies before brunch at the city.

MELBOURNE ARCADES AND ALLEYWAYS
After checking into the hotel, we went out straight away to checkout Melbourne arcades and alleyways. I had used this guide as a guide to decide which route to go through to get the best out of Melbourne's arcades and alleyways.

I think the alleyways cafe gave a different atmosphere compared to Sydney. My favourites are Hardware Lane, Union Lane (where you can find heaps of graffiti art), and Degraves street. We had tteokbokki at the Hardware Lane for brunch because we were so starving and didn't have proper breakfast. The arcades were just gorgeous, it is as if you're being brought back to the past. There was a dainty high tea shop in one of the arcade, but unfortunately we didn't decide to proceed into the shop.

Melbourne Trip - Pt.2

YARRA RIVER WALKS
We initially planned to go for the Yarra river walks in the afternoon of our first day in Melbourne. Unfortunately due to exhaustion, we ended up sleeping the whole afternoon. But since I was afraid that we wouldn't have any more time the next day, we then decided to go for the river walk at night.

What do I think? I love it! I think it was a good decision to take the walk at night because the night panorama around the Yarra river is just gorgeous.

BRIGHTON BEACH AND BIRTHDAY BITE
Early morning before we went to get my birthday bite at Toorak, we went further south to Brighton beach to have a look at *you know what* the iconic bath houses! I saw a friend of mine on Facebook posed in front of the bath houses several weeks before, and I just can't miss this one icon of Australia (or perhaps Melbourne to be exact).

We parked close to Brighton station, which I thought was pretty close to the bath houses - well, wrong! I had to walk around 500-700m to get to the beach where the bath houses were. We then only took few pictures and headed back to the car because we're almost running out of time for the parking meter.

SCIENCEWORKS MUSEUM
Because hubby loves museum, we decided to include a trip to one museum. I've had enough of general museum with ordinary exhibition, so we decided to go to Scienceworks museum. I thought it would be fun for hubby because he's an engineer afterall ;).

When we arrived, I was actually disappointed with how small the museum is. The general exhibition is small (and there were heaps of kids on the day we visited), but they have various shows throughout the day which you have to pay extra to watch. We really wanted to see the Planetarium show, but unfortunately time wasn't permitting so we decided to only watch one show which is the Lightning show. (After checking the website again, seems like they change their shows quite often).

Although I was disappointed with the general exhibition, I have to admit that the Lightning show was very entertaining! The host explained about colours, how to see different colours through chemical reaction (this is the basic of fireworks), what infrared/UV is, etc. They also showcased a machine generated lightning and the impact to various items if it struck.

DFO SOUTHWHARF
DFO Southwharf is one of the factory outlet centre in Melbourne located close to the city. I wanted to have a look at the shops which we don't have in Sydney e.g. Kate Spade. Unfortunaly I couldn't find anything that I liked, so we went around and around for two hours for nothing :(.

Muslim's Basic: 6 Pillars of Iman

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Muslim's Basic: 5 Pillars of Islam

SHAHADAH
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SHAUM
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ZAKAT
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HAJJ
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Muslim's Basic: Shahada

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Doming constituam cu ius. Solet impetus id sed, paulo ridens civibus eu qui. Eos eu eleifend periculis argumentum, recusabo evertitur dissentias mea ad. No qui laudem virtute ornatus, enim magna vis et, has at atqui suscipit accusata. Usu primis liberavisse at, suscipit posidonium dissentias nec in. Eleifend temporibus id mei.

At laoreet qualisque rationibus per. Et pro stet voluptatibus, per ad causae tractatos, mundi similique ius id. Vix fuisset mediocrem at, an quod saepe copiosae cum. Vix corpora mnesarchum in, quo modus affert in. Vis graeco denique at, nec quis fuisset percipit ei. Vim sint iudicabit te.

Halal Spot: Thai Ja Vu

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Doming constituam cu ius. Solet impetus id sed, paulo ridens civibus eu qui. Eos eu eleifend periculis argumentum, recusabo evertitur dissentias mea ad. No qui laudem virtute ornatus, enim magna vis et, has at atqui suscipit accusata. Usu primis liberavisse at, suscipit posidonium dissentias nec in. Eleifend temporibus id mei.

At laoreet qualisque rationibus per. Et pro stet voluptatibus, per ad causae tractatos, mundi similique ius id. Vix fuisset mediocrem at, an quod saepe copiosae cum. Vix corpora mnesarchum in, quo modus affert in. Vis graeco denique at, nec quis fuisset percipit ei. Vim sint iudicabit te.

Quick Kitchen: Quick Martabak Manis

Hello again to my Quick Kitchen series post!

This time around I discovered how to make a super easy yummy munchies that taste almost similar to martabak manis with only 3 ingredients!

What's martabak manis? Martabak manis is porous pancake which is halved and sandwiched with various toppings put in between e.g. cheese, meisjes, banana, condensed milk, peanuts, etc. You can find them easily at the street vendors in Indonesia. They are also known as "terang bulan" or "kue pinang bangka".

INGREDIENTS:

• Crumpets
• Butter
• Nutella
• Condensed milk, crushed peanuts, banana (optional)

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Heat crumpets on a pan until hot and crispy
2. Once it's crispy, serve the crumpet on a plate and spread with butter until it melts into the pores
3. Spread Nutella on top

This cheat martabak manis is great for breakfast or just snacking in the afternoon.

Quick Kitchen: Sausage and Corn Soup

Need a quick comfort food in winter or when you're sick? This is way too quick to make and it tastes so good!

INGREDIENTS:

• Chicken stock (or bullion cubes)
• Sausage frankfurters
• Frozen/canned corn
• 2 eggs, beat lightly
• White/black pepper
• Cornstarch
• Salt to taste

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Bring the stock to a boil
2. Add frozen or canned corn
3. Slowly pour in the eggs while stirring
4. Add the sausage
5. Mix cornstarch with water, and add into the soup and stir fast to make the soup thicker
6. Add white/black pepper and salt to taste
7. You can add boiled pasta as well (optional)

Halal Spot: Billu's Indian Eatery

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, et dictas voluptua nec, ad quo vidit patrioque. Ea iracundia definiebas contentiones his, mea ut affert tamquam ceteros, no pro facilisi praesent. Mea tritani nominati te. Sit saperet periculis democritum et, aeque oblique erroribus ne eum.

Doming constituam cu ius. Solet impetus id sed, paulo ridens civibus eu qui. Eos eu eleifend periculis argumentum, recusabo evertitur dissentias mea ad. No qui laudem virtute ornatus, enim magna vis et, has at atqui suscipit accusata. Usu primis liberavisse at, suscipit posidonium dissentias nec in. Eleifend temporibus id mei.

At laoreet qualisque rationibus per. Et pro stet voluptatibus, per ad causae tractatos, mundi similique ius id. Vix fuisset mediocrem at, an quod saepe copiosae cum. Vix corpora mnesarchum in, quo modus affert in. Vis graeco denique at, nec quis fuisset percipit ei. Vim sint iudicabit te.

Skincare Routine

Skincare routine is perhaps my favourite search in Youtube. I like seeing other people's skincare routine as I'm trying to figure out my own routine and also to see what products are other people using.

I have been struggling with acne all my life, and pretty much everything went worse when I moved to Australia because I could not find any face wash that don't break me out! Eventually, I figured out that my skin may need gentle cleansers specifically made for sensitive skin. I have heard that French products are usually gentle and perfect for sensitive skin, so a lot of the products that I use are from a French brand.

I like to keep my routine super simple, but has to hit all my skin issues (mostly hyper-pigmentation and acne), because no one in the world would have time (and patience) to go through all of those unnecessary skincare products! Here are the steps that I follow for my skincare routine:

1. TAKING OFF MAKE UP - Bioderma Crealine H2O

To take off my make up, I usually use the Bioderma micellar water. I don't wear thick make up and I would take wudhu in the middle of the day. So, by the end of the day usually I don't have much make up left to clean. The Bioderma micellar water can easily take off the rest of my make up (even heavy make up as well) and the best thing about it is that it's gentle enough for my sensitive skin.

On days when I don't wear make up and I'm too lazy to wash my face, I only use the Bioderma micellar water to cleanse. Although just using that, I'm convinced that it takes off all the dirt and dead skin and prep my skin for serum.

2. FACE WASH - La Roche Posay Effaclar

I came across this brand when I was looking for a French brand face wash that is specifically for acne prone skin, but gentle enough for my sensitive Asian skin. I'm forever grateful to find this facial wash because it does the job beautifully. I have less acne now, provided that I clean my face everyday - otherwise forget it.

3. CLEARING HYPER-PIGMENTATION - Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Brightening Serum

I have heaps of hype-rpigmentation on my face as I like to pinch my acne. I'm conscious that I have to stop my bad habit, but I just can't! *cry*. So, to clear up those dark marks, I use the Kieh'ls Clearly Corrective Brightening serum. I can see immediate result within a week or two if used in conjuction with the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate serum.

4. MOISTURISER - Kiehl's Ultra Facial cream (day) & Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate (night)

For daytime, I normally use the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream. I like the texture of the product, which is not too thick (unlike the Rosa Arctica) or too thin, and it absorbs quickly into the skin. It doesn't leave that sticky feeling on the skin, and it doesn't have any fragrance (a plus!).

For night time, I only use the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery concentrate. It is a dry oil that absorbs quickly into your skin. It doesn't leave any sticky feeling and you will wake up with soft, supple, and glowing skin by morning. It also helps your skin regeneration, so, as I mentioned before, it can help accelerate clearing hyper-pigmentation.

5. EXTRA ACNE CARE - Botani & La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+

At times when I pinch my acne, I would cleanse the wound with Bioderma and dab the Botani Acne Rescue Cream on it. I have heard numerous raves about this cream, and I do think it works. Usually 2-3 days after applying it on the acne, it deflates it. Please note that his cream will leave greenish residue on your face, so you can only use it at night.

I have heard lots of good things about the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+. It is a clear gel that is intended to clear up your acne scars. I usually wear this under my moisturiser in the morning. I'm not too convinced with the result of this

Hello World! - Why I Still Started a Blog

This is my very first post on this blog! However, this is not my first blog that I have ever created. A couple months ago I was thinking to myself, "Should I start a blog? I mean it's already almost 2016 and I'm sure there are already thousands (if not, millions) of blogs out there! Will anyone read it?"

I stumbled upon a great article from The Minimalist on "How to Start a Successful Blog Today" which gave me a lot of think of why I finally decided to start a blog, regardless of the outcome.

3 reasons not to start a blog. The article mentioned 3 reasons not to start a blog: money, notoriety, traffic.  I think those 3 reasons are the real reason why almost everyone of us now have a blog, especially beauty blogs (there are just heaps of them!). I did thought about using it for income, but I know very successful blogs have already been in the blogging business for at least 3 years to get decent number of subscribers and traffic into their website.

So, my reasons for starting a blog are. Sharing about interesting things in life and improving my writing skills. I have had two main blogs in the past which is a personal sharing space for me and also a cooking blog. I love to share recipes and my thoughts about pretty much anything that I think it's public appropriate, but my old blogs don't have good content planning. I tend to write whatever I feel like writing at that time. So, this time around I decided to start anew to keep everything more organised. I work in communications function in the company, so writing and marketing skills is very important for me. I've noticed the last couple of weeks, I feel like my writing skills has degraded so much. So, I'm hopeful that this blog could be one of the avenue for me to practice my writing skills.

What I'm going to write in this blog. I'm housing all of my blogging activities under one roof, which means my personal blog and cooking blog will be combined. I will mostly be writing about

- Recipes. I will be sharing some of my favourite recipes, food hacks, and other kitchen related things.

- Beauty. I will share about products that I love and works for me.

- Books. I'm a slow reader, so it's always exciting for me to pick the next book that I should read. I personally love personal development books. So, I'll be sharing valuable lessons that I've learned from the book.

- Islam. I'm a muslim, I wear headscarf, and I taught Quranic studies (sort of). I do feel like I'm obligated to share the knowledge that I have taught my pupils to the wider audience, clarify some misconceptions, and provide materials (ppt) for you to use to teach other people. If you have questions about Islam, just shoot them in the comments!

- Other bits and pieces. Some tips and tricks, travel stories, interior design, etc.

If you're interested to have a look at my old blogs, click on the below links: