Respect

There's this thing that always gets to me even though it's not an unusual problem but I personally feel that this should be talked about. I've always hated the fact that I had to respect and acknowledge people that are older than me but instead they abuse this priority. People who think that they have the power to do something and they don't respect you in return because they think that there's no need for that. 

Let's talk about superiority and seniority. Why do we have these systems? People need to start thinking about the core reason of these systems. Why do juniors or young ones have to respect the seniors? Why is there a junior-senior system? Teachers used to tell us that it's because they have more experience in life than the young do. I acknowledge this and I think it's very true but there are still people out there who abuse this system and abuse the juniors or the younger generation.

Why should I give you respect if you do not respect me in return? When you look at it this way, the moment you give respect to someone, at the same time you're also giving respect to yourself. You're respecting yourself to trust and acknowledge the person you're respecting. 

It hurts my pride to respect such person with a trashy personality. I personally think that its ridiculous to bow or even greet someone that doesn't respect you in return. 

Society should live equally of course with the foundations of these systems but not to be carried away by the priorities that blind one from the roots of these systems. 

I hope people will grow to realise these faults and improve from it.

Love, C

5 Ways To Keep Your Hair Healthy

People with dry and frizzy hair hands up! Some people just completely neglect the importance of the hair but for us girls, it contribute a lot to our looks. It might seem hard at times to keep your hair healthy but it's essential as healthy hair can contribute to a lot of things. Healthy hair can keep you comfortable all day, like feeling flawless wherever you go and looking good with whatever you wear.

I am not going to tell you to keep away from heat or go to the salon for treatment because it's something we are not always capable of.

Note to girls with short hair: Remember when our parents used to tell us that short hair is better off than long hair because it's easier to maintain? That was a big fat lie. I've said it a million times that short hair is not low maintenance. Short hair in fact needs really high maintenance especially with a bobbed haircut. I think pixie haircut is really easy to maintain though because it's really short but I've never had a pixie haircut so I don't know.

We (short-haired girls) have to blowdry our hair everyday when we're heading out. That is really a nuisance and very harmful to our hair. Even so, I still have my ways to keep mine silky and smooth without going for treatment.

Clean your hair frequently...with the right product

This is a very crucial point if you want to have healthy hair. You have to clean your hair at least thrice a week to get rid of the oils and dirt that's clogged up in your hair. You have to also use the right hair product that's suitable for your hair. Clean hair is like a clean face. If your face is oily you use oil-free cleansers, if your hair is dry you use moisturising shampoos. Same thing. You can consult a professional about your hair texture or what products you should use.

Condition and give it treats

After washing your hair, condition it. There's a trend called "reverse hair washing" where you condition your hair before you wash. Sounds...greasy? I've ought to try it out but they say it works. Whatever you do, be it before or after washing, you have to condition. Conditioner balances the pH level of your hair and restores the nutrients that shampoo takes away. Think of shampoo as chemotherapy, it kills everything. Everything. And then conditioner replenish the nutrients that is needed for your hair. 

You can also feed your hair some products like hair masks or hair jelly and so on.

Lucido-L Essence Water #Silky Moist

I'm using this magic potion that works miracles for my hair. Just a few spurts and my hair is moisturised for the whole day. It protects hair from heat too so when I go out, my hair isn't dry and rough. With conditioner + this baby, my hair feels softer and moisturised. 

TIP: Don't throw too many products at your hair. It'll worsen the condition of your hair.

Say no to towel turbans

Most people turban up their hair after they shower cause' it doesn't get in the way. But don't you know that throwing your hair up in a turban can actually damage your hair? When you turban your hair, it actually stresses the roots causing it to break especially when your hair is wet thus at it's most vulnerable. It stimulates growth of baby-hairs which makes you look like you're in a mess. Just gently squeeze the excess water or dab it with your towel and let it air dry.

Give it a break

Whenever you're not going out or don't have to look really good, stop the blowdrying process and just let it dry naturally. I don't blowdry my hair when I go to school these days. Although I look like a mess but nobody really cares at school so I just let my hair rest for a few days. I blowdry my hair twice-thrice a week too. I used to do it everyday but my hair seems like it's gonna drop off so I cut off the heat. Your hair needs to take a break from all the heat you're feeding it because it needs to lock in the moisture that's left to "survive".

Do not air-dry when it's dripping wet

Air-dry is good for your hair but not always good. You can never air-dry your hair when it's still soaking wet. It has to be at least on the moist side to be left to air-dry. It's also not good for your general health to leave your hair just like that when it's still drenched. You'll get headaches after that, trust me. Plus, it'll leave you in a bundle of locks and tangles and you're going to have a hard time brushing it out. When it's still really wet, towel-dry your hair or sit near a fan and towel-dry until it's just moist. Leave it so that your hair can suck up the moisture they lost due to exposure to heat. 

That sums it all up! 

Stay healthy, love C.

  

To drop or not to drop. That is the question.

I am feeling really stressed out recently. I'm in a dilemma whether to drop Chemistry or Biology.

Let's tell the truth, I understand Biology more than Chemistry. Chemistry is really hard to cope with and Biology is easier to understand even though it's hard to memorize everything.

I'm wondering which is easier to score. I can't do Chemistry really, i'm so stressed. But then if Chemistry is easier to score then I would take Chemistry.

To be honest, i'm not planning to study science in the future. It's too stressful, it's not what I want anyway, to do science. No thank you. But I really need my results looking good, be it science or not. 

A lot of people are dropping Biology. I don't understand why. I like biology because it's a theory subject. Just like law. The only problem is your brain capacity. Plus it's super understandable and logical. Whereas Chemistry seems alien to me. 

And I'm thinking of taking EST. Because it seems damn easy. But my school doesn't offer EST classes so I have to study on my own.

All the best to me. Sigh. 

Penang Travel

Went to Penang before the exams with family. Holiday in advance? Totally didn't have any exam mood after that...which is probably a good thing *evil laugh* no stress no stress.

Penang is all about the food. It's the Taipei of Malaysia when it comes to food. I really can't get enough of it, there's just so much.

We stayed at Tune Hotel. I'm really impressed because it's still very neat and comfy even though it's a budget hotel. I still feel luxurious staying there, bed is comfy as ever wheee! There's a 7-11 on ground floor too, really convenient especially when you're in need of snacks. 

First meal of the day in Penang was Char Kuey Teow(炒果条), salted vege soup (咸菜汤) and vinegar pork leg (猪脚醋)

Gawd I love this place. It's a coffee shop to the left of Tune opposite the road. The name's Rong Xiang Cafe if i'm not mistaken. Those 3 were so good, seriously. The salted vege soup was sour enough for me, and it's very addictive. The char kuey teow was really good too, it has just the right flavours and it's greasy but in a good way. The vinegar pork was something new to me. Never had anything like that before. It's sweet and sour together and the taste of vinegar is strong but it's still savoury.

I'm craving for them now, gosh. 

 A place at the flea market around our area. Didn't know the name of the place.

Char Kuey/Chai Tau Kueh, Dim Sum and Har Mee/Hokkien Mee. I still prefer Kuching version of the char kuey (fried rice cake/radish cake, similar to the Korean tteokbokki 떡볶이). Penang version is a little spicy, but then again, Penang delicacies are mostly spicy. Dim Sum was okay, some was nice and others were just so-so. I didn't take the Har Mee here, but I took it at a shop also opposite of Tune. Spicy, and the smell of dried shrimps was strong. Overall it was nice, something new.

Visited the Botanic Gardens. We went for a ride that took us "around" the park. Such a waste of time and money. Tourist trappers. Went mini hiking through one of the trails in the park. Aim: Burn off the fats taken yesterday just so we can take in more. Weird psychology but who cares, it works :P 

Dropped by at Cocoa Boutique on our way back to the hotel. Aunt bought this box of chocolates. Mom bought 3 boxes of chocolate waffles because it's on promotion tho it's still expensive. Such a turn off, the waffles were just meh, kit kat is so so much better than that. 

Munch again at the hawker sites around Macalister Road/Jalan Macalister. I still can't believe I don't have any photos of the food we had there. We had grilled fish (ikan panggang), clams, cendol and my favourite of all : Fried Oyster (Oh Chien). 

The cendol was really really greasy, I guess maybe that's not the right stall to go to for cendol. Grilled fish was superb and the fried oyster was heavenly. I love their version of the fried oysters which is sticky, chewy and moist. The ones we have here in Kuching are like pizzas, like deep fried. I probably can down 5 plates of fried oyster if I have the chance. *cough*

Don't know how we'd end up in this herbal jelly place. It's also opposite Tune. It's really bitter but it's good if you eat it with honey.

Well as for shopping, we went to Komtar and Paragon which we of course didn't buy anything from.

很遗憾 it's a pity that we didn't get to see and visit a lot of places but it's still a fun trip. Something new for all of us I guess.

#np: October's Playlist

It's EDM love this month!

EDM is great for parties, times when you're down and can even aid you when watching Anabelle. *winks*

Start with the non-EDMs first.

Wings - Birdy

Birdy always has that vintage swag. Just like Skinny Love, her songs are always stunning.

Lost Stars - Adam Levine

The OST for the film Begin Again starring Adam Levine himself. It's nice to hear a soft song from him once in a while.

What Are You Waiting For? - Nickelback

One of the most motivational song I've come across. Trust me, you'll need this every now and then.

All The Way - Timeflies

Something new to me. It's very Pop-ish but i'd consider it on the EDM side.

Ten Feet Tall - Afrojack ft Wrable

Sounds like a David Guetta song to me. Well it's nice in all the right places so why not?

Lionhearted - Porter Robinson

Porter Robinson is a genius. He started making music at a very young age so I consider him as an inspiration to me. Something new too.

Sad Machine - Porter Robinson

Another one from Porter Robinson. Trust me this gets better and better.

Go - Grimes ft Blood Diamonds

Best EDM i've heard up to date! It's explosive but not too hardcore. Addictive too! My style. :P

More Than This - Patrick Ness (Book Review)

More Than This by Patrick Ness

One of the books that you should read before you die. Seriously.

I am not going to spoil anything here. Just a simple simple synopsis for you.

It's about a boy named Seth. He killed himself because he couldn't stand the pressure people put on him just because he is gay. yeh, gay.

He then wakes up in his old town. Without knowing what happened, he struggles to survive.

He discovers a coffin in his bedroom, some friends and a mysterious antagonist along the way.

He finds out that they all woke up the same way and they have something in common.

Thus begins the heart-pounding adventure to solve this mystery and...read it yourself.

It's so so nice and the plot is just epic!

I figured i'd say this in every book review but just trust me, it's really epic.

It's a sci-fi kind of book and sci-fis are the last genre of fictional books i'd read so if I say it's nice then it's really really nice.

I've learnt a lot from it. Mostly about life cause' the book is about life, real life, as real as it can get.

I actually knew about this book while watching someone's review about her collection of books and I didn't particularly take notice of it. Then I went to the book store to look for Eleanor and Park(which I couldn't find and still can't find) and I saw this book. Since there was no E&P, I bought this instead.

If you've read Azrael's Stop which I did a review here, they're both similar stories. About life, death and friendship. Just that More Than This seems more futuristic and real, more convincing.

I just realized that the main character of Azrael's Stop is Ceph and the main character of this book is Seth.

Their names are similar too!

But not to be misunderstood, Azrael's Stop has it's own touch that makes it a whole lot different that More Than This. 

Quotes:

“A book… it’s a world all on its own too. A world made of words, where you live for a while.” 

“Know yourself and go in swinging.”

“No, life didn't always go how you thought it might.
Sometimes it didn't make any sense at all.
You've just got to find a way to live there anyway...” 

“We have to lie to ourselves to live. Otherwise, we'd go crazy.”

“I wanted so badly for there to be more. I ached for there to be more than my crappy little life.' He shakes his head. 'And there was more. I just couldn't see it.” 

“There's always beauty, if you know where to look.” 

“I don't believe in guardian angels," Regine says seriously. "Just people who are there for you and people who aren't” 

Monster Dash 2014

Monster Dash is back as scary as ever! Well not that scary actually. 

Anabelle is scarier, but we'll get to that some other time.

Monster Dash is a 5km halloween-themed charity run with the aim of raising funds for critically sick children such as cancer and cerebral palsy. It's a fun run for the youth and at the same time encouraging them to opt for a healthy lifestyle.

I couldn't register because I was too late to register but a friend of mine told me that you could register on the spot. So on I went and then they told me I couldn't because registrations are closed and there's no on-the-spot registration. I was on the verge of a mental-breakdown because I was already there at the event location and I didn't know whether to call my parents to bring me back or continue to run but a lot of my friends told me to just go and run so I did. 

I know this is for charity and I promise i'll register next time. It's not like I don't want to donate or anything, I do feel guilty.

They have neon paint stations where you get to soak yourself in neon paint! Neon, my favourite. ;)

Had ZenQ before the run. Photo credits to Elviana!

Hair soaked in neon paint!

There's something else I felt inspired with: the emcees and hosts of the event. It's what I want to do in the future, to host a event, to make crowds go crazy. It's fun. :)

The run ended at 10 p.m. or so and we hanged around for a bit. Then I went for supper with Mel, Jace and Mel's bf so I ended up going home at about 12 am. i'd like that to happen often *smirks*

Would like to be a monster next year! I had so much fun despite the fact that my legs hurt like hell. It's all worth it in the end. ;)

Prefects' Night 2014

I am a school prefect. #Nerd

Nah, I have a pretty special job after all. When did we ever really cared about the discipline of other students. We're all one big problem ourselves. 

I'm managing the school's Public Address System (P.A. System). The only downside is that I have to wake up pretty early on Tuesdays, other than that it's a really cool job. Win some lose some.

So on to the Prefects' Night. It's a annual tradition to celebrate or thank the retired senior prefects. To put it in a simpler way, the Night is for the seniors and we're actually there to work. *sweats*

But like I said, tradition, and I get to attend as a senior next year. Fair play.

I didn't really had fun, I guess it's a personal thing, i'm not a dinner/party/gatherings kind of person. I get really moody. dont ask. hard to explain.

Dress X Seed

Love my kicks. ;)

MCs OF THE NIGHT! #applause

Blurr photo :( P.A. Crew 2014/2015. Love them to bits!

With our seniors!

Conclusion: I am not a photogenic person.

I even got my hair done which made not much of a difference. *cries*

I guess the main reason why i'm so unhappy that day is that i'm MCing for the night and things kept changing and going wrong. I guess that stressed me out a lot. 

But overall it was quite an experience and I hope that I'll MC well next time if I get the chance. 

Looking forward to next year's Prefects' Camp! 

Love, C.