concert

Gegar Vaganza

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Hey guys! So I forgot to blog about the fact that I went to Gegar Vaganza two weeks ago! I got tickets courtesy of my aunt who is (was) competing this season. Anyway...I have no comments apart from the fact that it's interesting to see how live shows come about. There are so many different camera angles and the host/assistant will tell you what to do prior to the commercial break or after the commercial break. It's just cool and something I've never experienced before. Anyway, here are the pictures!








I'll update more soon! xo

Cambodia

Things to do in Siem Reap, Vietnam! (muslim friendly)

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Hi guys! I just got back from my trip to Siem Reap. So let's cut to the chase....

Day 1
My mum and I took Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur and arrived Siem Reap at around 8++ a.m. Before we left, my mum already booked a tuk tuk driver to bring us around. We ended up getting Salim, who is a Muslim so it's easier for us as he knows where to go to get halal food. He is a really nice guy and helpful too! And he speaks Malay and a little bit of English. My mum found out about him through blogs and I shall leave his details below. 10/10 would recommend!

Salim Tuktuk Driver
telephone number - (+855) 78 99 68 40 and (+855) 97 725 6503
email - limangkor@yahoo.com, sekongangkor1@hotmail.com, angkorlim@gmail.com

I would suggest contacting him through whatsapp or Facebook.

So he immediately recognized my mum and brought the tuktuk to us. The tuk tuk is the main mode of transportation for tourists, especially in Siem Reap! They don't have taxis there and we actually took the tuk tuk from the airport.



Random Fact - Do you know they still sell petrol by the road side in bottles? You will see lots of that from the airport!

Above is a picture of tuk tuks at the side of the road. So once he picked us up, we couldn't check in yet so he brought us to the silk farm! We got a tour guide who can speak English an brought us around the farm. The silks are all hand made and fun fact: the Cambodian silk's original colour is gold and the life cycle of the butterfly is only around 40++ days.







A tip - If you wanna tip the tour guides or anyone for that matter, Salim says $2 or $3 is sufficient. Keep in mind that they use USD there. But of course, that is entirely up to you! :)

Next, we went to the War Museum. I never knew this but Cambodia was still at war up until 1999! I was already six at that time! It's crazy to think how some of us young people (and even old) take things for granted. We are so lucky to be in Malaysia where we basically have everything we could possibly need.


After that, we went to the place where they make soap and fragrances. We just wanted to buy time cause we were still too early to check in! It's a good place if you wanna buy souvenirs :) 






By the time we were done with touring the soap factory, it was lunch time. So Salim brought us to a halal restaurant called The Siem Reap Backpacker Restaurant & Bakery. I highly recommend going here if you want Halal food. I am not sure if it's just famous amongst the Muslim community in Siep Reap or if it's generally a famous dish there, but apparently lembu naik bukit is a must try dish! In Malay, it literally means a cow going up the hill! I don't know about everyone else but I am personally not a huge fan of Cambodian food. I meant the lembu naik bukit was alright but maybe it's just not something I'm used to. 

Hotel

We finally went to the hotel and managed to rest for a bit. We stayed at Angkor Orchid Central Hotel, which is literally just beside the night market! And also, they serve halal food there! It was a surprise for us cause we did not expect that. It is also owned by a Malaysian!



Also 10/10 would recommend! Free halal breakfast, free wifi, halal room service and they also provide a massage service in your hotel room if you want!

After resting, we went to the Cultural Village. We get to see the different cultures they've had in Cambodia and they have shows as well. It starts at around 2 or 2.30 so that's why we went there quite late.




My mum and I got tired after this so we headed back to the show. 

Another tip - they will take candid pictures of you when you enter and print in on like a cement tile thing. You can bargain if you want according to Salim. $5 is the maximum you should pay for a picture.

Day 2
We were up bright and early on day 2 to go to Angkor Wat. We got there in like 20 minutes to half an hour. We went around 7.30 cause my mum wasn't interested in seeing the sunrise. If you want to see the sunrise you have to be there by 5.30 if I'm not mistaken. Surprisingly, we were done by 11.30 cause my mum was too tired to walk to all the temples. They have so many! Not just Angkor Wat. But our tuk tuk driver drove us around to the famous places for us to take pictures.

Tip - If you want to get a tourguide at Angkor Wat, make sure you get an official tour guide. Someone who wears a uniform and ask him to show his tour guide ID. It shouldn't cost more than $15 USD. $10 is ideal.






After a whole morning of walking, we decided to head back to the city. Also, please wear something comfortable! And no sleeveless shirts. I think it just applies to the ladies but i'm not sure. At least get some scarf to cover up cause they have a dress code.

Then we went to KFC to grab lunch. The KFC there is halal!


We headed back to the hotel to rest then we decided to go out and check the night scene! Aka the night market. They do have a renowned pub street but I wasn't gonna go there with my mum! LOL.


Honestly, there's nothing much to shop there. And also, you have to BARGAIN! 

Tip- You know those Aladdin pants? I'll show a picture of it soon. But it should only cost $2! No more than $3. Some of those sellers will mark up the price like crazy when they see tourists so always bargain. It's rather easy. You can just walk away and they will go from $7 to $3.

All shops sell pretty much the same thing. My mum says Vietnam has more things to buy. But I guess you can be the judge. 

Day 3

We headed to Tonle-sap! It's a floating village along the Mekong River. Honestly the river is so huge you'd think it's an ocean!



This is a floating school!




Apparently this is their version of alcohol! There's snakes and cobras inside!


Btw that's the Aladdin pants I was talking about! LOL

Then we headed back to the city. We dropped by Hard Rock Cafe just to take a look. 


Then the tuk tuk driver dropped us off at the hotel so we could rest. After that, we just walked around town. We walked to the halal restaurant quite near by (for me, not for my mum) called Wau. Near by that restaurant is also another halal restaurant called Muslim Family Kitchen. It's near a mosque. This restaurant also serves Malaysian food.


After lunch, my mum and I headed back to somewhere near our hotel. We took a tuktuk and it should only cost you $1! So always bargain.


That is Pub Street during the day!



So after walking around under the blazing sun, we headed back to the hotel and ordered room service for our dinner. That pretty much sums up our trip! We left the following day at 6.30 am. Do let me know if you have any queries cause knowing me, I did miss out on a few things. But I guess that's it. Til then!

5 reasons why I'm not enjoying the (f)unemployed life

Friday, November 18, 2016

Okay so I thought taking a long break from work (a month and a half) would be a great idea and all. I mean after almost a year of doing my pupilage, you just want to relax you know what I mean? But here are 5 reasons why I'm not enjoying it so much.


  1. Trying to live the tai tai life (in Chinese it means a wealthy married woman who does not work. And yes, I googled that to find the exact meaning) on a budget isn't fun. The definition itself said wealthy and well, married. But you could always be wealthy without being married but that's besides the point. I mean I am a struggling millennial. I can't afford to live on the lifestyle of the rich while not earning anything. Therefore, I can't do (or splurge) on lots of things.
  2. Your friends and boyfriend are all working. I mean being 23 means everyone is finally entering the real world. And lets face it, as much as we wish we could still go out and party every night, we are all getting a little too old for that. When I was working, I would be in bed by 11. That, or I would still be in the office. So you have no one to hang out with apart from your mum during the day. And trust me, I spent the entire morning with my mum yesterday and I just crashed and burn when I got back. It was so tiring! And did I shop? Nope. The only exciting thing I got were my contact lens solution and some vitamin C from the pharmacy.
  3. You gain weight. I've been so bored lately that all I do is eat! I guess I have no one to blame but myself for this.
  4. You start feeling lazy. Like I said, all I do is sleep, eat, binge watch TV series and youtube and occasionally I do read. But all of this involves me being on my bed (except for eating.....I guess). And that makes me feel so tired and lazy all the time!! I know I told myself I should exercise but...okay no buts. I should just start exercising after this.
  5. You miss work. I do. I miss being productive. But like I said, I'm going to regret not enjoying my break once I start working so I should just stop moaning and moping and make the most out of it.

And those are a few of my first world problems. 

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them

Friday, November 18, 2016

Hey guys!! So as expected of me, I caught the movie the first day it was out in Malaysia. I'm not gonna give any spoilers but I'd rate the movie 4/5. I am a huge Harry Potter fan (I'm a Ravenclaw according to Pottermore) and I was indeed one of those kids who would get my hands on the book the first day it was released. Then I would proceed in locking myself up in my room to try to finish the book as fast as I can. But this movie was different than what I expected. Still good, nonetheless. And I am guilty of not reading the book. There is a book right? LOL I think there is.

Anyway, the casts were great. The storyline was good. I would still prefer Harry Potter but my boyfriend says I shouldn't compare it like that. And can you believe he only watched Harry Potter after I forced him? What a shame....

Apart from that, I will be going to Siem Reap, Cambodia next week. So expect a more eventful posts. And I will also have a job interview next week before I leave for Cambodia so we shall see how that goes. Honestly, I miss working. I mean being able to wake up late and all is fun but it gets boring after a while you know? Oh well. I shouldn't be complaining too much. I would be wishing I was on a break again once I start working, for sure. So I guess that's it guys. Till then, bye!

Well that was an unfortunate start to a new beginning....

Monday, November 14, 2016

Hey guys! I know in my previous blog I was all gung-ho (side note:did you guys know that this is an actual English word? I've always thought it was Mandarin or something) about living my life to the fullest for my last break, yada yada yada. But guess what? Yesterday, when I was about to drive to my neighbourhood gym (yes, I wanted to drive to the clubhouse gym in my housing area cause I thought 500m was too much of a walk), my car broke down! It started making a weird sound and it just died! I mean I don't know much about cars so that really freaked me out. Apart from that, I was supposed to pick my mum and step dad from the airport later that evening.

So, I did what any "independent" child would do and called my mum. I explained to her the situation and she told me it might be the car battery. It was a Sunday so there was nothing much I could do about it. I proceeded to walk to the gym. And yes, it did felt quite far and did a 2km jog on the treadmill. Mind you, I am not the fittest person out there so 2 km was a good start for me.

So I got home, showered and went to the kitchen cause I was hungry. I don't know what is it with me and food these days but I just feel like nibbling on something all the time! I guess that's what happens when I have nothing to do with my life. But the good news is, I've been starting to cook. I don't think anyone knows this about me considering how I hardly go to the kitchen (apart from when I want to eat), I actually enjoy cooking! Or at least I enjoy watching any cooking program and the food channel. If I was given a choice to make a living of what I love, it would probably be cooking! Now why am I not pursuing that dream? Probably cause I don't think anyone would pay for it....But that's besides the point. So yesterday, I made agile olio pasta! I know that's nothing special but hey, you gotta start somewhere right? Call me narcissistic but I actually do enjoy eating the things that I cook. But one of the reasons why I don't cook often is because I don't particularly enjoy cooking with my mum. She's a great cook and all but I just prefer doing things at my own pace and my own way. Also, we usually don't have the ingredients for the kind of food that I want to cook.

Anyway this morning, I went to the mechanic to get my car fixed. Turns out it is just the battery. The last time I got it changed was exactly two years ago apparently. After that, I went home and read. I'm currently reading #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amaoruso. If you guys don't know who she is, she is the founder of NASTY GAL, a clothing brand. And I find it inspiring how she literally started from nothing. I've always thought of venturing into running a business but the thing is, I'm no where near innovative enough to come up with my own ideas! I guess that's why I'm a lawyer right? HAHA. But running a business has always been at the back of my mind. Who knows, maybe one day it might happen. But till then, I guess a girl could dream and I shall stick to law. See ya!

farewell

The end to a new beginning

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Hey guys! Believe it or not, I have completed my 9 months of pupilage! In a month's time, I will be called to the high court of Malaya and will be admitted as an advocate and solicitor! All my hard work is finally coming into place! But wait a minute, this is just the beginning Liana!

So it has been 5 days since I've been "unemployed" or as the Rich Kids Of Beverly Hills say it, "funemployed". I guess I could apply that to myself if I was a rich kid or if I live in Beverly Hills, but I don't. Not even close, sadly! So the reason why I'm "unemployed" is because I'm taking a two month break from work. Considering how this is my last chance to take a long justified break (I mean you can always quit your job and go on an eat, pray, love journey to find yourself), I thought I might as well take advantage of it.

As of now, I haven't been doing anything productive. I've just been waking up late and I did go for that one long overdue massage. But apart from that, I've just been slacking. And I come to realise that I actually do miss working and being productive. So I've decided that from today's onwards, I am going to do what it takes to make this break counts. I am going to do all the things I told myself I couldn't' because I was "too busy with work". 
  1. I am going to learn to cook (and I did manage to cook today. I cooked butter prawns though it was quite salty to be honest. Is it a sign I'm gonna get married soon? Probably not).
  2. I am going to exercise everyday or at least once every two days.
  3. I am going to those yoga and spinning classes every fitness junkie has been raving about.
  4. I am going to read as many books as I can! Fiction and non fiction. I've always been a big bookwork since I was little. My mum even prevented me from going to the book store during exam seasons and I would actually get scolded whenever I tried to read during exam seasons. So as a reward, my mum would usually bring me to the book store as soon as I'm done with my last paper. Though most of the time I would go to the bookstore with my late dad cause I could buy as many books as I want. However, I've never been interested in non-fiction so I guess now is the time to start. I really do need to improve in my general knowledge, even though it's not that bad at the moment, I guess.
  5. I am going to find more things to add to the list.
So the main thing is, I do not want my last long break to go to waste. I am going to make sure I do something productive everyday! And maybe start blogging daily! We shall see tomorrow.

Anyway here is a picture from my farewell last Friday! (Honestly, I just need to upload a picture so it fits my theme)