A breath of fresh air

Because 2016 has been a crazy ride

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Top: Aere from FashionValet

Scarf: dUck scarves from FashionValet

Kain: Joo Chiat Complex

Shoes: Charles & Keith

It is the little things that counts

Today I spend some time with the man's family. Had a huge feast, had an amazing night and as I went home, The tummy decides to start contracting and ache so bad. I guess it's preparing itself for lady red... 

It was painful to the point of I was unable to move and started crying when I stood up while waiting for the cab. The man, the lovely amazing man, tap my arm lovingly and said 'breathe in deeply. Focus on your breathing'. He did not let go of my arm. He hold it tight and tried to make jokes that made me laugh and the pain got even more painful! 

Well he tried. And I'm grateful for that. Atleast he tried to make me forget the pain. 

What it takes to love

I am no love expert. I am not married (yet). But I do love people. I love my family, I love the people I am friends with, I love my colleagues and I love my man.

At times, I tend to say I love you too often. There is no such thing as too much right? But what if I am just using it with the same tone and expression as 'hello' and 'goodbye'. Does it count? Does my I love you becomes romantic? 

No. It does not. Instead, it becomes a cliche. 

To Love or be in love is not enough. You got to seek understanding, you got to seek acceptance. You got to give it back. You got to give your heart. 

Not many are capable of truly loving a person. I wish I can say I know all this. I don't. I learn as I go and today, after a long conversation with the man, I realised how ignorant I've become to understanding his likes and dislikes. How ashamed I felt that he had to remind me that all he wanted from me is simple; for me to understand him. 

I thought knowing what his favourite colour is, what size are his feet, what is his favourite food etc etc is enough. 

I realised those are just bonuses if I know. I should be paying more attention to his actions, to his principles, to his habits. I shouldn't whine that he is not romantic. I shouldn't whine that I don't get enough 'love' from him. He didn't whine when I left his jacket in a foreign land (oh yes I did. And I tried so hard getting it bad. I cried when I told him but he just said 'it's just a jacket, I can buy it again) neither did he throw a fit when I didn't planned his birthday celebration, instead he played along and spent a mediocre day with me (but I did brought him to see his idol). 

I have not been the best lady for him and yet he still stick by me. This man must really love me or just has a huge-ass amount of patience for me. I know it's both. And I am grateful. 

So today, ladies, think about what your man has done for you. No, not the moments he bought flowers for Valentine's Day kind. The He hugged me tight when I had a bad day or He called during lunch to sing a Stevie Wonder Classic kind of things. It's these gestures that you appreciate more than the flowers but you tend to overlook the little things.

If your man is next to you, give him the tightest hug and say you'll do better. 

And ladies, mean what you say. I will do better. I will 

2016

The last few months of 2015 has been tough for my family. A lot of changes, a lot of sacrifices. A lot of highs, a lot of really lows.

I am proud to say that as a family, we got through the 'dugaan' that HE brought to us. We got stronger as family.

Alhamdullillah my dad is doing much better now and what matters is that he is home!

2016 has been a whirlwind of events. Alhamdullillah I've moved to a new role within the company and I am loving it! I remembered when I was in school 5-6 years back, I told myself that I want to be able to travel for work and with this new role, I have been going over to our neighboring country for work. Though it is just Malaysia, I am still thankful that I got the chance. This coming week I'll be in Melaka!

I am enjoying work and I am grateful for it.

only 3 months into 2016 and I am having a blast

 

Smile 'cause you had the chance

It is funny how in school I don't show how interested I was with Makeup. I was hockey goalkeeper so technical I was deck in shorts, dry fit tees and my hair will be pulled back with my skin as tan as it could possibly be. Now, I get asked about my craft and sometimes, people would take the chance to hire me for their special events or work events. I, in turn, will be too shy to say yes.

To this lady, whom I met during school, I willing said ok to do her makeup for her engagement and again for her corporate photoshoot. 

It was a great eye opener for me as I am still new to this and to have the sudden exposure to this world of makeup artistry. 

Doing makeup not on yourself is a totally different ball game. You gotta know the person's face shape, skin tone, eye shape, eyebrow thickness, lips and skin condition 5 mins before you start slapping on makeup onto their precious faces.  That 5 mins scared the hell out of me with thoughts running through my head like 'what if I make them look fat instead of thin' or 'what if the camera picks out dullness in their complexion?' Or the worst 'what if they don't like my work!'.

Yes, these thoughts will run through my tiny head before I smile and start painting on the blank canvas I have. Scary isn't it? One thing I learn from this and a few other experience is that you can never be satisfied with your work. There will be things you want to change after and you have to take it in your stride. You can take it as a lesson and use it in the next assignment. 

So the learning point: 

1: to be apply more on the lids and cheeks as its a photoshoot. It may look good in real life but on camera, the colours might get toned down thanks to the lighting. 

2: to really define the brows. Again, like point one, more product and more emphasis on the brows.