Because Feeling Good is Wonderful!

It’s July already, can you imagine just how fast time passes? With a blink of an eye and just a whisper of a smoke, we are already in the middle of Year 2015! 

Today, I am going to write about many things here.Year 2015 has been really awesome, and I believe all these are my own doing, I vibrate them to come to me. There are plenty of opportunities along the way that have led me to where I am now, right now, feeling giddy, happy, empowered and plainly like I am on top of the world. Oh yeah, whatever you say, I truly believe that I am capable of doing anything at all. You ain’t gonna bring me down, NOPE. 

My swimming sessions have been paying off. I am not like super-model-slim, in fact I don’t want that kinda unhealthy body image. I wanted to be fit. Taking the first step to swimming after being idle for so long was difficult, but down the road, it is all worth it. I can see my body is toning, my clothes are getting looser; my complexion is better and I sleep so well. Really, I don’t really care what you say about swimming getting broad shoulders, I love my body, I love being fit and if you don’t exercise, seriously, you have no rights to tell me which sports I should do or should not. At the end of the day, I am the one exercising, and you being in the couch potato should just stick to your couch. Hehe! 

Oh, my passion is burning, as you all know, I love diving and I am in love with it. Thinking about it makes me really happy and suddenly there are just plenty of people and dive trips coming along my way all the time. This is so wonderful and I have managed to fit in 3 diving trips on this 2nd half of the year. I am confident that I am going to make wonderful friends along the way. And I truly absolutely believe that our trips are going to be wonderful, we are making good memories and yes, we are going to see something good during our diving trips! Something rare that’s worth every conversations in the future. And most importantly, we are going to be safe, happy and alive when we return homes as planned. 

I have also fully and truthfully come into terms with my sexuality. This is something I have been struggling and confusing myself for a long while. I truly believe that sexuality is fluid and if you put it strictly, it’s just a spectrum that society puts labels on because they don’t really have conclusive answers for the entire working of it. And I am so happy that I can now be honest to myself and my friends. And I am really grateful that there are people who accept me. While there are others who question about the entire sexuality concept, too bad for you all, you are missing half the fun! Whatever it is, I believe in love. True love. To me, it’s LOVE first. Other qualities such as skin color, gender and etc, come much much much later. So YAY to myself! This is good! 

I am feeling really wonderful, like I am not even kidding or faking it. There are secrets to this positive energy that I am feeling. There are things that I have been doing to improve my body, mind and soul. You might question about my methods, but honestly, it’s nothing harmful. These are just things that you and I have come across the internet for many many times and while you are skeptical about it, I am a firm believer. At the end of the day, look who’s complaining about bad day? Definitely not me. 

 I am never stingy with my knowledge so in the next few posts, I am going to list down things I do everyday. ;)

Busy Times

I have been lazy. I have been lazy to do anything especially drawing. The irony is that this is supposedly a DOODLE blog but here I am writing and writing even more. Should I just switch side and rename it to THE NONSENSE-WRITING blog.

June has been really busy for me. A lot of activities and tons of money flowing out from my pocket. I hope that it's all worth it in the end. I have so many dive trips lining up this year, I am really excited to be honest, so excited. I pray earnestly that everything will happen and end smoothly and that everyone including myself and all whom are travelling together will have happy memories!

I bought my own equipments! Now I have full set of diving equipment already, I am ready to explore further. Oceans, wait for me, I am coming for you.

-

-
Also, I have been eating lotsa good foods, no wonder my belly just won't refuse to budge despite how many laps I swim per week. But these desserts are out there, so tempting, so delicious....waiting for me.....

-


On the other note, the weather has been too hot lately. Just few weeks prior, it was raining cats and dogs around here. I am not sure if it's because I am getting more conscious about the weather, but it seems like it just keeps weirder, plus the facts global warming is freaking real and happening at an alarming rate despite what all the naysayer says. It's scary in a way, and it keeps me wondering if I will live long enough to see the world end. If it gets this warm I think I will just move to the islands. These warm weathers seem to be better when you are near the oceans, maybe I should, one day and get myself really dark and tan.

All in all, June has been a good month, and I just can't wait for all the coming trips!
Till then, hasta la vista baby!

All is Well and Getting Better.

I think it has been approximately four months with a lot of determinations, groans, whines, complaints, pain, tears and sweats to get to this point where I feel quite healthy, quite fit and generally satisfied and happy with how my body is. And I only hope that from now on, it gets better and better.

I have always loved swimming than any other on-ground sports/activities. I love the water. It's like my natural element, something I can't explain except that I feel very much belonged in it. Maybe in my past life I was a marine live, a dolphin perhaps? I do wish so.

Going back to what I was saying, yeah I love swimming but I lost touch with it since I entered high school. I no longer swam regularly and naturally my body size increased horizontally so fast before I could even react. For years, I had been fighting with it by controlling my diet to no avail. And together with my slowing metabolism, all these fats were winning the war. I was depressed for a long while. I know it was such a stupid thing to be depressed about but I wasn't feeling confident of myself. I couldn't fit into my pants and shirts any more. The worst was, I couldn't enjoy what I love - diving. I was always tired after one simple dive and if there was current, however small, I tired out so easily that I always felt like I was going to die somehow.

Then, something happened in my life. That was it, the trigger! I thought to myself like screw it, nobody is going to take care of you if you don't do it yourself. And the first thing that I needed to change was to stop being a couch potato! (Also the fact that I am working with a 45-years-old manager who looks like he is only in his 30s because he exercises regularly kinda motivates me a lot...) On top of all that, I have somehow and miraculously ended up in the fast food industry, which means I literally cannot avoid processed food these days when product development is part of job scope... If I don't start exercising, just imagine how horizontal I would be. So that's how I have ended up swimming almost daily these days, always pushing myself to the limit each time with the hope that I could swim laps without really stopping in the future.

It has been five months now and before I even thought about it, I can now swim longer and longer and longer, without any rest! And also, I am starting to see the transformation, like how most of shirts and pants are becoming really loose and the muscles are starting to show. I am less tired, sleep better and the best thing is that I don't feel so guilty during those days when I eat a little bit more than usual.

This realization of course makes me extremely happy. I know a lot of people will tell you like you have to incorporate certain exercises to build your strength or that swimming will give you broad shoulders... Tell you what, screw them. Pick a sports you like regardless what the others say, because it's so much easier to motivate yourself to exercise when you pick a sports you really enjoy, make it a habit to do it consistently and reap the benefits later.

And most importantly, take that first step.

Something You Love.

Hello. I am back.

Time passes away so cruelly and so quickly, isn't it? Half of year 2015 has already ticked away. And what have you been doing? Have you found yourself? Meaning of love? Happiness? Have you been spending enough time with people who matter? Have you been walking to your dreams? Or are you running away from them?

These questions I have been asking the same of myself and I found myself at a roadblock. How do we define happiness really? How do we define love? Everyone has their own definitions to these abstract concepts, what's yours and what's mine anyways? To some, it's money; to another, it's food; to me though, I think it's really diving.

I liked diving, a lot. It's not until now however, that I realize just how much I am really really in love with it. I guess the feeling comes along because I hang out with the right company; and I am so glad despite the circumstances, I have decided to continue pursuing this hobby and now it has turned into a full-blown passion which I absolutely enjoy to the max. This crazy obsession of mine, may cause a lot of money but spending on something you really love; like a joy in your heart is something you can't really put a value on. How can you measure memories, laughter and friendship that you gain along the way with monetary values? At the end of the day, as long as I don't come back with huge debt and still have sufficient in my account to survive the months, all is well.

So the next time you see me going around diving, give me a high five! Because you know, I am doing something I really love, and I hope that whatever that you may doing in life, you have something or someone you love with you, just so that if life never happens the way you want or it starts throwing you lemons, you know where to get the best lemonade done and enjoy it.



I just came back from Redang Island again! And I finally took my Advanced Course, yahoo!

March Vacation 2015

 

 Hello! I have returned from my vacation! I had a rather fun and interesting trip. I have always been in a diver's club that I joined through a forum and after many missed chances, I finally got to join them for this small dive trip and needless to say, it was very fun! I met new people with the same passion and learned many great tips from them, since they are all very experienced. ;) We were in Redang Island, Malaysia. As far as I know, the dive sites there aren't as well known as many other beautiful islands around Peninsular Malaysia, it turned out to be a rather relaxing dive trip after all, mainly because we were lodging in Redang Laguna Resort and with its all-in-package and wonderful services! Seriously, if you are visiting, check Redang Laguna Resort, the prices you are paying may be slightly higher as compared to the others but the services, the peace and ease of mind are worth every penny of yours. 

 

Now let's talk about diving! We dived with Laguna Dive Centre and since it belongs with the resort, they have big boats! I love going out to the ocean with big boats to dive because there will be ample of spaces for us to get into the gears, small ones are just plain comfortable with tons of punching around. The underwater world is ok, beautiful but not impressive as others I have been to before. 

Overall, it has been a good trip, so unforgettable that I am returning there very soon again. 

Legend of Korra, I Pick You! [Part 2]

The grand finale of Legend of Korra was aired on 20th December 2014, and one month later, there’s still a lot of buzz going around in fandom. Die-hard, obsessed, addicted and amazed fans like me will probably remember the magical moments for a very long time. I have mentioned this plenty of times and I don’t think I will ever tire out saying this over and over – Legend of Korra is a marvelous animated TV series. And the relationship between Korra and Asami is truly a great writing. There has never been a better queer representation on children’s TV than LOK, in fact it delivers far better than many other adult movies or TV series with similar theme. 

What I like most is the positive representation of woman, and not only the young ones; even the old ladies are as powerful and play as important roles as the men in the series. And then there is the blossoming friendship between Korra and Asami that slowly and subtly develops into something more; something more romantic and along the way, they have already fallen in love before they even know about it. 

I believe that a lot of people are crazy over this development because it feels real, true and strong and more so, it’s relatable to many queer people out there. Unlike heterosexual people who can openly start flirting when they find someone whom they are at least/midly attracted to; many queer people begin differently unless the person you are attracted to has already made known of his/her orientation. In many cases, it begins like Korrasami; first as good friends and along the way, they may or may not discover that they are actually attracted to each other more than just friends and then fall in love even without being together or in a relationship. 

 How do I know? As a person who strongly believes that LOVE is just love and sexuality is just as fluid, I may have or may have not experienced the same thing. :) 

Mostly, I believe Korrasami is also an accurate portrayal of true love. I know that attraction or infatuation do happen at first sight; but falling in love is another matter altogether; that takes a lot of time and effort and even then there is still a risk of it not even working out in the end. And I don’t believe that you have to be in relationship to make it happen. Like Korrasami, they know they are good friends, heck they are probably aware of being attracted to each other in one or two ways, but it is not until 3-4 years and multiple life-threatening adventures later that they realize that perhaps, their attraction never stops and has been falling in love unknowingly. In the end, when the relationship begins, we see two mature people who have already fallen in love with each other, coming together and making the decision to journey and explore their future lives together; not just – “Let’s get together and see if we fall in love or not” relationship. And that to me, is beautiful. 

Love can come in many forms. Gone are those days where true love comes in the form of Prince Charming saving damsel in distress; or witty, humorous bad boys courting an impossibly rich and unapproachable girls and then fall in love just because someone saves the day. It’s time to show the future generations that love can happen anywhere when you least expect it. Sometimes, it develops like Korrasami; or it takes a long time; or it takes multiple separations and failed relationships to finally come around with the one; or it happens later in your lives; or it happens with not the prince charming you have always dreamt of; or and or and or….. And very also very importantly, platonic friendship do exist between males and females and that just because you hang out with another person of opposite sexes, you are sleeping together, no. 

To the creators, supportive staffs, and all the people behind this awesome series, thank you for pushing the boundaries to portray Korrasami. May this be the defining series for all the positive changes to come in all children’s television. 

 And thank you to all my readers for bearing with my obsession with Korrasami.

Actually, there are also a lot of many other things to love about LOK in total like its brilliant and detailed animation; its deep yet relevant theme in each season and so many more! It's a really good TV series.

My Year 2014

It’s time of the year again; to celebrate and welcome another brand new year; to write resolutions that we know that we will never be able to fulfill… So unless you have done everything that you have set for yourself, then here’s a pat to your shoulder from me to you...Congratulation! Now go on and write more resolutions! As for me, I can’t even remember if I have made any resolutions for year 2014 but one thing I know for sure that it has been an interesting ride!

Looking back at what I did in Year 2013, which I have written it here… I couldn’t help to cringe at my own ridiculousness because apart from getting my diving license, what I have achieved in that year has been so insignificant; but I guess I wouldn’t know better at that time. I take it as a good sign though, that I could laugh at my old self for being so childish because it means that I have grown out of it, and probably become wiser now than I was before. And to make sure that I get a good laugh of my own absurdity on every end of another year, I am going to attempt in writing down what I have done before departing to another brand journey ahead.

Year 2014 has been an intriguing ride. For starter, I have read more than 100 books in this year alone! The exact number is actually 106 as of today and if you ask me how do I even know? I have a google sheet specifically to list down all the books I have finished for the year. I must thank my nifty little Kobo Mini for being ever so efficient and convenient. With Kobo Mini, I can bring my books everywhere and can easily steal some time indulging in some wonderful stories anytime, anywhere. And more than ever, I find myself falling in love more and more with books. I have literally turned myself into a book nerd and I don’t regret every second of it. There’s something very therapeutic about reading. It literally opens up your mind, changes your perspectives and teaches you to be more compassionate towards many things in life. And for the coming new year, I hope to come across with more inspiring books that will teach me more things about life itself.

Next, I need to talk about diving in Sipadan. This is one of my most memorable highlights in this year and I believe that it will be in my mind for a very long time. I had always known that we humans are really tiny in the face of nature and after spending 5 days 4 nights around the beautiful islands in West Malaysia, I finally had the chance to see it for myself, just how tiny and unsubstantial our lives are. We are just part of something so huge that many of us are so absorbed in our own self-importance that we forget to pause and think about others. We forget that there are billions of other living things in this world, sharing the same planet and sustaining the entire ecosystem together with us and with our stuck up, ignorant and selfish attitude, we forget that if we don’t protect these living things, they will vanish, the balance will be tipped off and what’s left would be our own extinction. We forget that this planet is shared, we are just one tiny part of it and who gives us the right to claim this Earth as our own and destroy the nature. The beauty of Sipadan islands and the lives around them have humbled me. And if Sipadan is only one itsy-bitsy beautiful thing of this planet, I wonder what else I could discover out there. Will we ever have the time to discover all the magnificent secrets of this world before it perishes due to our negligence? I wonder…

Year 2014 has also taught me to love myself better. For a while I was stuck in a miserable bond, I thought I was doing a favor by sacrificing my own happiness only to find out in the end that a toxic relationship is only going to end up badly and hurting both sides. I should have made the decision to walk away when I could but I did not have the courage to do so. Out of this unpleasant experience, I have learned that your heart knows what you really want and when it is trying to tell you something, you better listen to it. There is also nothing wrong or selfish with self love, you can love yourself without being selfish or arrogant or self absorbed. The difference is only a fine line apart yet distinguishable. And in life, sometimes you have to make that decision for yourself, even if it seems cruel and heartless to the others but when it’s done for the sake of your own love to yourself, you need to do it regardless what the others say or think. You owe that love to yourself, not love from others but the love that comes from you to your ownself. And when you start loving yourself, you will find wonders of what you can accomplish and achieve.

Another thing Year 2014 has given me is quality friendship which I am really grateful for. It’s really important to surround yourself with like-minded friends and people who can truly accept you for who you really are. It is such a blessing that I have found these people whom I can talk about anything in this world and even better that we share many of the same views, beliefs and principles together. And much thanks to this bunch of crazy friends, I have come to learn to accept myself better and be comfortable in my own skin. Out of these 365 days, we have talked about how shallow and close minded a lot of people are when their reasons in going against certain issues don’t even make sense. And we talk about how easily most people are being led by the media or the society they are in that they can’t even think rationally for themselves. While I admit that we are not perfect ourselves or even self righteousness, we accept our flaws, analyze and discuss over many dumbfounded issue that have plaguing our planet. We examine why some groups of people are thinking this way; why do they close up their minds; why do they have to do this and that and at the end of the heated discussions, we all laugh all over about them and vow never to be like them in the future. There are some interesting issues that we have been discussing among us that I would really like to share with the rest… but with these 1000 words essay right here, I will have to put them in another post.

Overall, Year 2014 has taught me many things, plenty of self discoveries and lessons. It's essentially a very good year. I mean what's so bad in a year that many of my OTP(s) come true! What do I hope for the new year? New discoveries, new adventures, good people, good friendship and lotsa love. :)

Happy New Year! :)

In Summary:
1. I changed job, yeah like it's exciting.
2. I read more than 100 books in a year.
3. I visited Sipadan Island and dived there.
4. I made a conscious decision for the sake of my happiness and walked away from things which have been toxic to me.
5. Of course I love my family and friends.
6. Korrasami and so many other of my OTPs come true!
7. Thank you Year 2014. :)

Why Legend of Korra Matters

We need to talk about Legend of Korra.

If you are a fan, you should already know that LOK has finally reached it end with its marvelous and much talked about finale. The entire fandom and internet are going wild with its courageous ending, and with that leaving its legendary mark in the history of children's television. For many years to come, many people will remember Legend of Korra. And we can all see just why.

When I first came upon Legend of Korra two years ago, I was deeply intrigued by the Korra, the main character, heroin and also as an avatar in the show. Korra is different than a lot of cartoon shows I have come across, especially by the standard of the west.

First off, the heroin is a female, not just some stereotypical female with big boobs, dresses and all the feminine qualities that you could imagine; She is the valiant, slightly masculine, athletic and not-afraid-to-kick-ass type of female and thinking back, I couldn't even remember when she actually wore dresses in the entire 4 seasons. Korra isn't the typical female in many shows that need protection, she fights very well and isn't the type to back down from the taunting of men. And most of all, Korra has dark skin and whatever races she is in, she is not white; in which I feel that this itself is such a bold step. I mean look at all the famous cartoons, which of them actually feature powerful females as the main players and at the same time aren't whites? And it's not just Korra, most of the female characters in the entire series hold roles as important as the males and not just as sidekicks, princesses in distress or trophy wives.

Back to the finale that has stirred up quite a ruckus until the two creators themselves came out and confirmed the ending: that Korra and another female lead are now together, romantically. In short, Korrasami is canon.

I love how the creators are trying to empower the people through this representation instead of making it into just another marketing gimmick or baiting the queer community for the sake of viewership. They genuinely want to challenge the limit and show a positive expression of love to the audiences; that women and men can have platonic friendships that are both inspiring and empowering; just like the relationship between Korra and Mako.

Then there's Asami, who is an equally powerful female lead and whose friendship with Korra has developed into something more throughout the four seasons. Some people think that it's too sudden and as quoted by Bryke (the creator), that's just because you are viewing the entire show with a "hetero-lens". In other words, your mind is so closed up that you are unwilling to accept the existence of non-heterosexual people. The hints of their blossoming relationship may be subtle, but they are definitely there, displayed right in front of your eyes. And the development is gradual, not rushed for the sake of pairing two people together. It is not the major plot; it grows at the side until it reaches the climatic moment. It feels so real. However, what we never expected is that the creators actually pushed it further and make the relationship canon on a children's television! So kudos for their determination!

So why is it such a big deal? Because we are talking about children's television and to actually have queer representation in one is a very progressive move. Our lives are shaped by the society we are in, and while you can say there are many queer movies out there already, but to actually portray one in a kid's show, apart from Legend of Korra, I would say none has made it this obvious or that far. It is so important to teach our children from young that love is never wrong, whether it is happening between two person of different or same sexes so that they can start seeing things with open minds, that non-heterosexual people exist out there and it's okay if you are one of these people because ultimately, it is just two humans falling in love with each other. Love is never wrong.

And here I would like to quote directly from Bryke's tumblr:

“I’ve become skeptical of the unwritten rule that just because a boy and girl appear in the same feature, a romance must ensue. Rather, I want to portray a slightly different relationship, one where the two mutually inspire each other to live - if I’m able to, then perhaps I’ll be closer to portraying a true expression of love.” - Hayao Miyazaki (a masterful storyteller and co-founder of Studio Ghibli.)

I agree with him wholeheartedly, especially since the majority of the examples in media portray a female character that is little more than a trophy to be won by the male lead for his derring-do. So Mako and Korra break the typical pattern and end up respecting, admiring, and inspiring each other. That is a resolution I am proud of.

However, I think there needs to be a counterpart to Miyazaki’s sentiment: Just because two characters of the same sex appear in the same story, it should not preclude the possibility of a romance between them. No, not everyone is queer, but the other side of that coin is that not everyone is straight. 

Legend of Korra has its flaws, it is not perfect. But what is true is that all big dreams begin with one small tiny step and LOK has certainly make its first mark and hopefully we will begin to witness positive changes in the media, children and mature televisions alike. Thank you Bryke and Michael for the awesomeness.

Did I also mention that Legend of Korra has really cool fighting scenes too?

Go check out what Bryke and Michael have written in their tumblr!

Cheers Korrasami fans!

Read Whatever That Makes You Happy!

There's a certain "AGAINST YA" movement going around these days. And before you go googling for what YA means, it actually stands for "YOUNG ADULTS". So what's this AGAINST YA? Apparently, it's embarassing for adults to read young adults fictions and you should totally dig a hole and hide yourself forever there since you are actually reading something written for children when you are a grown-up adult yourself!

Honestly, few years back I wouldn't bother about this thing because at that point I was only a young adult. Now, no matter how much I want to deny this, I am getting older and right now I am at the NEW ADULT STAGE and I can't help to cringe at this movement because I am guilty as charged. I still read YA fictions! Hell yeah! I love them! And why should you control what I should be reading at different ages?

I started reading pretty late. English language has never been my first language and I remember how I used to hate this subject in schools. Luckily I grew out of the hatred and started realising just how important this lingua franca was; so I began drilling myself away to master this crazy language that seemed so difficult to me at that moment. To start it off, I had to read children's book because I couldn't understand the teenagers/Young Adults book. They were too hard. I sorta grasped the language eventually, if not I would not be writing this.

Anyways back to the AGAINST YA issue, I don't understand! I really don't. To me, reading is pretty much a very personal hobby. Sure, you can discuss about a book with someone else after you have done with it but at the time when you are in the midst of a book, you are the only one interacting and engaging with the pages right in front you. People may see you sitting at the bench in the book, however, you are the only one who knows where these words have carried you to be it a world of crazy fantasy, dramas, pain or love. It is like a personal connection, only you can feel it.

So the question is, why are you shaming other readers for whatever books they feel connected to?

Genre is there for a reason. As similar as the YA and Adult category can be, there is a difference. YA storyline often ends up to a happy ending or a positive one and often than not, the characters don't move beyond colleges. Life issues are not the major problems there because you know, mostly it revolves around high school/colleges scenarios, how many dramas can you have from there? While Adults fictions tackle a lot of real life issues and assert more maturity in how the story flows or how the characters handle the dramas. So there's a difference, but I don't mean that the other one is horrible or the latter one is better. It's just the genre. And seriously there are no faults nor shames in reading either genres. Why can't adults indulge in a little bit of teenagers' simple and totally nonsense dramas since the reality kinda sucks most of the time. Like they always say, there is always a kid in all of us no matter the age. And a lot of people actually read to escape into a different world, so why is it wrong when people choose to escape back to those pimpled eras where we only cared about getting drunks, puppy loves and maintaining grades in schools.

So what is wrong with reading YA and laugh about all the antics that we used to be so conscious about too? We have been there, done that and reading a YA or children books even is nothing to be ashamed of. At the end of the day, I just want to relive some of its simplicity without getting myself into all the adulthood dramas when our real lives are packed to the capacity with all the random issues.

To emphasize my point again, I feel that reading is a personal hobby, it's an intimate connection you are establishing with the authors and their overly imaginative minds to experience the angst or happiness they are going through. And it's not up to people to tell you what you should read and if it's a hobby, it should be enjoyable and you should get those books that make you feel connected. All those haters be damned!

Oh yeah, I love fanfictions, like tons, selectively too. There are plenty of talented authors out there and really, they don't need to publish their work into hard copies - books to prove themselves worthy.

I am not ashamed of what I read. I embrace all genres as long as I am happy and interested. Published or not. Adult or not.

I suggest you to do the same. And just enjoy the ride. :)

 

 

WELCOME TO MINIREDCAR.COM!

Hey there!

So this is the big announcement I promised you on my old blog HoneyLemonGirl.com! We are actually having a rebrand from Honey Lemon Girl to Mini Red, thus you have been redirected to here.

Well, things have been doing very well for Honey Lemon Girl honestly but as time passes, we need to grow up so a rebranding is kinda necessary to move forward further!

We are doing this long term so for those readers who have been around with us, thank you so much for your support and please continue doing so because we are sharing all this just for you!

Okay, enough of all the words! Feel free to browse around and remember to come visit again.

:)

 

Life is like Pancakes!

Today I am here to talk about PANCAKES. *drum rolls*

This simple food is such a delicacy, given if you mix with the right ingredients; the perfect amount of flour, butter, eggs or perhaps milk to form one of the favorite food in the world! Even now we have those premade flours on the markets shelves. (You don't know how to make pancakes? Here, take this gun with bullet, maybe this world isn't cut for you at all.) And what's so cool is that each country has their own versions pancakes or look-a-like or stolen recipes with their own cultural twists. Neverless, we all love pancakes. It's such an awesome and simple after-sex food.



I ain't expert in pancakes. Occasionally I take some and I love them sweet. I have come across some really cool ones like with bacons (People love mixing bacons with everything, like bacon ice cream). The idea of having something sweet together with some salty really appeal to me! It doesn't gross me out but neh, I don't really enjoy it. I don't want have my cakes made out of meat, nope!

When I think about it, pancakes are pretty similar to life. Everything starts off real simple, you come to this life and all you need to do is breathe, eat and survive, that's all. And in the middle of it, someone might add in some milk, eggs, chocolate cips and others might add crazy stuff like veges, herbs and then at the end of it we top it off with syrups, honey or some nutella. Everyone has a different mix, just like life itself. At the end of the life, what kinda pancakes do you want? Sweet? Bitter? Or just terribly messed up in the awesomest way?

Cracking your brains yet? Let's just keep things simple and enjoy some of our random pancakes photos. Yeah, we made them while we were bored, broke and hungry.

"Living a good life is like flipping pancakes. If you hesitate, it splatters all over the place." - Matt Simpson

Maybe it's time to take the leap of faith and chase your dreams today!

So what pancakes are you making today? :)

10 Reasons Why E-Readers are AWESOME!

I have a Kobo Mini in my bag wherever I go these days. If you have no idea what I am talking about, you ought to check out this tiny little nifty gadget right here. I know you can't stop squealing now over its cuteness, so let me reassure you again that this adorable little thing is absolutely brilliant.

THE CONVENIENCE

Imagine having 1000 choices of different reading materials packed just inside a tiny, featherweight gadget. That sounds pretty real convenient to me! I don't have to think about which books to bring for my trips anymore!

GOOD FOR THE EYES

Yes I know, your tablets or smartphones can do the same! But try staring at those expensive LCD, LED, Retine display screen for at least 30 minutes and you get what I mean, your eyes will be strained. Most E-Readers use E-Ink technology for their screens which literally translate to NO GLARES, NO BEAM, NO FLARES and whatnot. NO MORE EYES STRAIN! YESH! Your eyes will love you for this!

READ UNDER ANY LIGHT CONDITIONS

Sunlight? No problems, your screen is still as sharp it can be unlike those smartphone or tablets and their glares. Dark places? No problems, switch on the preinstalled LED light which many E-Readers come with these days.

LIBRARY ON THE GO

Did you know that E-Readers have Wifi capability? You can browse and purchase E-Books instantly whenever some random titles pique your interest. NOW, tell me that's not convenient at all.

ON BOARD DICTIONARY

Yeap, your vocabulary may suck but now you don't have to worry anymore! Just click on the words you don't understand and voila, the word and its meaning will appear to you immediately.

AFFORDABLE PRICES

E-Readers are cheap, must cheaper than your meal at times. For RM250, I got myself a decent Kobo Mini which I could easily store 1000 books inside. And e-books aren't as expensive as you think, better than those books you got from the store that cost you an average RM30 for one. It's a good investment in the long run.

SAVE THE TREES

The world needs more trees than those books you put away in your dusty cupboard after one read. And screw those arrogant notion like it feels better flipping a real book or the smell of the pages. The truth is, with each page you flip, another tree is going to meet its end to make instead of producing oxygen for the Earth and some innocent animals are losing their homes. Yea think about it, it's cruel reading a real book so it's time to switch!

LONG BATTERY LIFE

You don't have to worry about the battery for its power usage is really minimal unless you are constantly online with it. They are able to fully function for 1 month without charge, definitely good for people on the go without needing to worry about battery life.

FONT SIZE ADJUSTMENT

One thing about TREEBOOKS is that you can't freely adjust the sizes you like. If you want them bigger, the price of the book will be different, probably more expensive since they need more paper to print them. E-Readers however, give you the ability to control the font sizes, whether you like them big or small and you can even change the font type to whichever you are most comfortable with.

THEY WILL LAST & OUTLAST

They will be in the market for a long time and they have adapted to the fast moving world. They are able to sync with your other available gadgets so that you could still read your E-Books from where you stop on your reader on any other gadgets with you, as long as you have the Reader app and an account signed in.



 

With all that said, I am seriously loving my E-Reader right now. I know TREE BOOKS won't disappear but this is definitely a good change as my fellow friends who are avid readers could testify so, it's much easier to read from the E-Readers than the hardcover books when you can finish them real quick and in the long run you will find yourselves save more than you expect.

Come on, don't be a snob and ignorantly claim that hardcover books are always better, that's just because you haven't enjoyed all the good things that come together with an E-Reader. =)

Hydraskins: Gadget Skins Specialist Product Reviews

Few weeks back, when Hydraskins was having their Free Bumper promotion, I instantly bought two sets from them since I was also looking for a new case for my iPhone.

The well-packed package came after a few days as promised.



Seal of quality sticker.


The entire package came with the skins and a free screen protector together with it. Honestly, the screen protector is nothing much; the quality is decent and it seems really thin. And after a few days of using it, I realise that it actually yellowed. I took it away after like a week.



The shock bumper that came together for free! Hydraskins actually put effort into their packaging even though the quality of the bumper seems merely OKAY.


This is how the bumper looks like from different angles. It's actually quite tough but I found that the workmanship of the bumper is quite horrible. The one for I  received for Samsung Note 2 is damaged. The rubber already came off in certain sides. There an obvious lack of quality control here. This looks like those $1 cheap bumper you could easily source from ebay.


The skin!


Unlike the bumper, the skin quality is actually good, as you could see from the photo below, it's different than the normal sticker and I truly trust Hydraskins when they say the skin won't leave any residues on your gadgets.

When I was putting the skin on my phone, I had to peel the skin off a few times to get the angles right and it was surprisingly easy to put on the skin too! So much easier than putting on the screen protector as the skin won't leave any bubbles and even if you found some air space, you could easily slide them off with a card! One advice though, don't try to pull the skin as it will elongate.



My iPhone looks pretty good with the skin and bumper!


Samsung Note 2 actually looks better with the skin on as the surface area is much wider.


For RM39 per skin (Full Body protection), it is pretty worth it as the skin quality is good. I have no doubt that it will definitely keep my phone from scratches while leaving no residues on the body after that. However, the bumper (selling at about RM29 normal price and RM19 for add-on price) is not worth the money. The quality is horrible and we ended up going to retail shops to get transparent cases instead.

I hope Hydraskins look into this matter and exercise better quality control not only for their skins but also their bumpers.

All in all, thank you Hydrakins, now my phone has an awesome looking body. I might consider having another set of skins if they have better promotions! *hint*

 

 

The Lone Ranger (2013)

IT'S JOHNNY DEPP!!



What could go wrong with Johnny Depp anyways? And what's more? It's directed by Gore Verbinski who happened to be the same director for the successful series Pirates of Carribean. Naturally, I had high expectation on this movie and besides, it's something different among these summer flicks that revolve around superheroes although The Lone Ranger is somehow also considered as a hero - a normal kind of hero.

Let's talk briefly about this Lone Ranger before we head right into the movie. This masked Texas ex-Ranger is a fictional character and also an enduring icon of American culture. He and his Indian friend Tonto, and together with their white horses, fights for injustice in the American Old West.



This movie is a mixture of comedy and action together. Surely, the actions effects are all wonderful; something you would naturally expect from a movie produced by prominent companies - Walt Disney Pictures & Jerry Bruckheimer Films. However when it comes to the plot, it was lagging behind as compared with all the smashing actions especially in scenes like the death of Red Indians, Lone Ranger's brother and the end of Tonto's tribe... Those were very emotional times, and just when I could feel myself getting into the depressing atmosphere and mood... Poof! We were suddenly rushed into another scenes. These were where I was very disappointed with, the movie did not go deep enough in these scenes; otherwise it would have made some emotional impact to the audience.



The movie is not all disappointing, in fact there is this one aspect that I am pretty impressed with - Character development. Throughout the two and a half hour, you could see how Lone Ranger (Armie Hammer) changes overtime and how his principle of justice evolve.Then not forgetting Tonto (Johnny Depp), audience could look into his past and see how he has become into how he is now.

Before I start spilling more beans, it's time to sum this movie up! All in all, I find this movie..... OKAY. It's entertaining and funny enough however due to its lack-of-depth storyline, it is not a memorable show; not one that you would proudly tell others "I HAVE WATCHED THIS *evil laugh*" kinda movie.



 

I would like to thank KLIPS Malaysia for the premier screening tickets. THANK YOU!

Yes, you should head over to their website like RIGHT NOW if you want to win some FREE movie passes too!

 

Brad Pitt Saving The World in World War Z (2013)

Whenever there's an End-of-the-World, apocalypse, survivor movie, I'll definitely jump into the bandwagon. I mean why not? The probability of this happening is pretty high whether it's by natural disasters, alien-invasions, deadly disease outbreaks... Yes, it'll happen one day to us. Watching all these movies prepare myself for the future...(or so I hope.)

 

Anyways, let's us look at the latest Apocalypse movie on the big screen - The World War Z (2013). If you are wondering which alienate planet humanity is going against with, you are wrong.

This is a ZOMBIE movie, caused by an unknown viruses that actually turn normal, healthy humans to becoming a improved, aggressive and definitely fast-moving zombies. Humans get infected and transformed very easily through one ferocious bite.

You must be thinking: What? Jut another zombie movie? But World War Z is different - Main focal point is of course, it's starred by non other than the Brad Pitt, Marc Foster (Quantum of Solace) and what else? It's high budgeted. So you could expect near impressive visual effects throughout the entire movie.

This movie is not really the faint-hearted. It's fast paced and the visuals are that scarily good. It keeps my heart pumping throughout the entire movie (Kudos to that!), my heart ran together with Brad Pitt (Gerry Lane) as he tries to survive and run away from the large horde of zombies.

I could literally feel the fear, not only from the brilliant acting from the experienced actors, also the way how the entire movie is being shot and produced to make viewers feel as if they are part of it and we are all running away from these terrifying zombies together with Gerry Lane. There are few scenes that have actually made me jumped too! The entire story flow is very intense, just the way I love how apocalypse movie should be! I especially love how Jerusalem was suddenly overflowed by towers of zombies; that part of the movie kept my heart running up and down.

This is awesome.

 

Despite the movie being disturbingly clever, there are few points that cause it to fall short from being exceedingly good. Some of the crucial points are missing - Why is Gerry Lane selected to be part of the "Save the World" mission? Why did he leave the team? Who the hell was he any ways? How do they control the deadly disease inside the human body even though it may serve as "camouflage"? And not forgetting, the ALL-TOO-SUDDEN ENDING, it feels like you are on a tremendous roller-coaster ride and suddenly the train just stops midway and the fun just ends right there. This movie gives you enough and leave you wanting for MORE!

The final verdict? Yes, you gotta watch this. It's a good summerendoftheworldmindless entertainment!
You can't go wrong with an eye candy on the screen, RIGHT?

I still prefer Brad Pitt with short hair though!