Fareiny Morni

Dealing with a Serial Liar

2018-09-27T07:55:00.000-07:00

Very recently I had the opportunity to file a tribunal claim against a company in Kuching. I am not going to go into the details of the case, but instead I would like to highlight a particular experience, which is dealing with a serial liar.

So after being lied to for the umpteenth time, we (both me and hubs) have come to the conclusion that this person is trying very, very hard to create an illusion that he has the right not to repay our money. Obviously there is no intention nor effort at all on his part to refund our money. We came to realise this two days ago when this person tried to fake a bank transaction with the intention to trick us into thinking that he has transferred to us money from his bank account.

We had requested for the company to fabricate a grill similar to this design. Inspiration photo taken from Bob Mubarak's instagram.

An image given to us via WhatsApp saying that the grill we ordered is almost complete. This image was only sent to us after we had requested for a refund. Not only the design is wrong, the material and colour is also very, very different. Until today there is no delivery for the item that we requested.

As a person who tries to learn and take heed from life's experiences, I told myself that I should at least benefit from this situation by taking heed. So this is what I learnt.

First, you will feel mad.

I think in our case, we were initially frustrated when we realised that we would not be getting the grill on time, which also meant that we had to delay buying household items and are unable to move into our new home. Then we got angry because without fail he would say that he would refund our money that very week and then make the same promise the following week. I have realised now (after 5 months of repeating the same promises) that this particular individual loves the attention that he is getting and maybe he feels important that his words/ promises are taken seriously by others.

Secondly, you might feel like taking action i.e. you should do something about this situation that you are in.

This I totally agree. After all, you would be disappointed in yourself if you do nothing. Therefore we decided to think of our options.

Option 1 - File a claim at the tribunal. Which we did. The first hearing was on the 25th of September. Unfortunately the person did not come to the hearing. He told us that he was in Kota Kinabalu for a training with Honda. I don't know how true this statement is because I later found out that he is working with Perodua. Regardless, inshaa Allah the next hearing is set for next month.

Option 2 - File a police report. Which we also did. We decided to file a police report against him in relation to his fake bank transaction. The police report can be used to request for his bank statement as proof that he did not make any funds transfer to me. The report will also be used as part of the evidence for our second tribunal court hearing.

Option 3 - Write a review on google about the company. Most companies are searchable and listed on google map. You see, before we employed the services of this company, as my usual practice, I would check on google to see if there were any bad reviews on the company. I found not a single information on the company other than it's address and location. No good or bad review. So today I made a review. For future customers, if they were to google this company, at the very least, my review would be there to inform them of my experience and they could make an informed buying decision.

Option 4 - Have faith and put your trust in Allah. I believe that our rizq has been determined by Allah and if these funds are meant to come back to me, it will. If not, then it will not. I am not any poorer if this person adamantly refuse to refund my money nor is he any richer by holding on to it with dear life.

What have I benefitted from this experience?

I found that I am able to manage my emotions and allow myself to think rationally on what to do and what not to do. Admittedly at times, I do feel huge waves of anger coming over me and trying to take over my emotions. Ever since Tuesday, this person has been calling me (which I did not pick up), dishing out the same empty promises and even saying that I am lying and creating stories/ fitnah over him on this matter. Being angry means that this person is able to exert their influence over your emotions, so I told myself, I could choose to be angry on the matter or I could choose not to be affected emotionally. Obviously, I chose the later. Whenever I felt a wave of anger coming in (obviously this happens after receiving this person's messages over WhatsApp), I decided to do zikr and ask Allah to forgive me instead. Might as well cool my emotions and gain reward from Allah at the same time.

I have also discovered that both me and hubs regard finding peace in our hearts to be of greater importance. I have since blocked this person's number - empty words and promises are not worth our time. We have followed the legal channels so let the future take its course in this manner.

A hadith referenced in the book Al Adab al Mufrad states that, 'Abdullah reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "You must be truthful. Truthfulness leads to dutifulness and dutifulness leads to the Garden. A man continues to tell the truth until he is written as a siddiq with Allah. Beware of lying. Lying leads to deviance and deviance leads to the Fire. A man continues to lie until he is written as a liar with Allah."

At the end of the day, I have also discovered what a cursed habit lying is and what an unfortunate life a liar has. A habit and a life which I do not want. May Allah protect us from the desire to lie and keep our hearts on the straight path. Ameen.

Updated: The individual has refunded our money on the same day that this blogpost is published. We have dropped our claim against him under the tribunal court as this matter is now considered as settled.

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Petroleum Nasional Berhad (Petronas) vs the Government of Sarawak

2018-06-04T12:19:00.001-07:00

Earlier today, Petronas announced that they have filed an application with the Federal Court seeking to declare that Petronas is the exclusive owner of petroleum resources throughout Malaysia (click here for the media statement from Petronas) based on an Act called the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (click here for a copy of the Act).

In response to the announcement, the Sarawak state government have announced that they are willing to go to court to defend their rights to petroleum resources that are found within the jurisdiction of the state (click here for the response by the Sarawak state).

In the PDA 1974, it is mentioned under Section 2 (1) that "... the exclusive rights, powers, liberties and privileges of exploring, exploiting, winning and obtaining petroleum whether onshore or offshore of Malaysia shall be vested in a Corporation to be incorporated under the Companies Act 1965...".

Based on the Act under Section 3(1), the company is Petroleum Nasional Berhad or Petronas.

Also in the same Act under Section 3(2), "The Corporation shall be subject to the control and direction of the Prime Minister who may from time to time issue such direction as he may deem fit."

Under Section 3(3), the direction issued by the Prime Minister is binding on Petronas.

However, I am not a legal expert so I will not go into legal technicalities in this post.

I have no doubt that the current state government under Barisan Nasional will fight for the right of Sarawak over petroleum resources found within the state's jurisdiction.

However, that is not enough.

The people of Sarawak also have to push their representatives under Pakatan Harapan to also fight for their rights. Under Pakatan Harapan's manifesto (click here for a copy of the manifesto), Promise 41 (page 91) states that "The 1974 Petroleum Development Act will be scrutinised to review Petronas's monopoly on national gas and oil products, especially from Sabah and Sarawak. This is to enable Sabah and Sarawak to set up their own oil and gas companies, and not limiting their role as a contractor to Petronas only."

Based on the recent election results, there are 12 parliament seats (10 from Pakatan + 2 independent who later joined Pakatan) in Sarawak held by Pakatan Harapan representatives (click here for the election results). Therefore, the people of Sarawak should demand Pakatan representatives to fulfil the manifesto as mentioned under Promise 41 which is to ensure the prosperity of the people of Sabah and Sarawak by enhancing the states' economic growth.

The campaign and election period is over.

For Sarawak to be able to protect their rights over petroleum resources found within the state, all leaders (from whichever party they may be) should work towards defending the state's rights.

And because the current Malaysian government is held by Pakatan Harapan, now is the time for the 'wakil rakyat' or representative from Pakatan Harapan to work and uphold the promise made in Pakatan's manifesto.

To the state government held by Barisan Nasional, hire the best legal team to fight for the rights of the state and do not let your people down.

To the people of Sarawak, this is not the time for you to be a spectator (or keyboard warrior). Demand proof that your representative is working in the best interest of the state and their people. And to those with legal expertise, you can also contribute your knowledge and experience by assisting those who are directly involved in the case.

This is Malaysia Baru.

But... Is it really?

Let's prove it really is Malaysia Baru by being informed, well-read and intelligent citizens - proactive Malaysians.

xoxo Fareiny

Ps: Some have mentioned that the Malaysian Agreement 1963 may be relevant to this case. I have not read the agreement (as I said, I am not a legal expert) but you can read the agreement if you like (click here for a copy of MA63).

Happy Mother's Day!

2018-05-13T21:47:00.001-07:00

When I think of Mother's Day, I am always reminded by this quote by Abraham Lincoln:

"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."

Me and my mum in Yogyakarta. She came to accompany me for an academic conference because hubs wasn't able to join me.

As a mother myself, I am always reminded of all the joy and love I feel for my daughters. The hopes and dreams that I have for them, the prayers that I make so that they are not only be successful in this worldly life, but also be good and pious Muslims, and attain success in the afterlife as well. Which is why I was affected by a post on social media which I read a few days ago from a daughter who is obviously unhappy with the relationship that she has with her mother.

As Muslims, we learn that we should always strive to maintain a good relationship with our parents (especially to our mothers). This is apparent in a number of hadith by the Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h.:

A man came to the Prophet and said, ‘O Messenger of God! Who among the people is the most worthy of my good companionship? The Prophet (PBUH) said: Your mother. The man said, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man further asked, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man asked again, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: Then your father. (Bukhari, Muslim)

A man once consulted the Prophet Muhammad about taking part in a military campaign. The Prophet asked the man if his mother was still living. When told that she was alive, the Prophet said: “(Then) stay with her, for Paradise is at her feet.” (Al-Tirmidhi)

On another occasion, the Prophet said: “God has forbidden for you to be undutiful to your mothers.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

However, not everyone are blessed with a good relationship with their mothers or even with their parents. There may be times where we may not be at the best of relationships with our mother (or both our parents). For some of you, like the post on social media that I read, may be estranged or in a difficult relationship with your mother (or both parents or other family members).

Do you know that our Prophets also have been tested with strained family relationships? Here are some examples:

Prophet Adam a.s. had a son who killed the other.

Prophet Nuh a.s. who even as his son was in the water did not accept his call to Islam. His son later drowned.

Prophet Nuh and Lut whose wives are non-believers.

Prophet Ibrahim a.s. whose father threw him in the fire.

Prophet Yaacob a.s. whose sons had a hatred so deep against their own brother i.e. Prophet Yusuf that they would lie to their own father so that they could kill Prophet Yusuf.

Prophet Yusuf a.s. whose brothers conspired to kill him and threw him in a well with the hopes that he would die.

Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. whose uncles (Abu Lahab and Abu Jahl) constantly mocked him and also conspired to kill him.

The thing that I've learnt from our Prophets is that, they have never wished bad things for their family members whom they are estranged from. Prophet Ibrahim a.s. tirelessly prayed for his father to accept Islam (Surah Maryam, verses 41 - 48) while Prophet Yusuf a.s. forgave his brothers and invited them to stay with him in Egypt (Surah Yusuf, verse 99).

We are not perfect and nor are we prophets. But we do strive to follow from the best example and the best example that we have is our Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h.

Let us take heed from this hadith by the Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h.:

"The best of you is the best to his family and I am the best amongst you to my family."

May Allah protect our Mothers (and our Fathers too) and make them among the people of Jannah. May Allah protect our relationship with our family and forgive us all for our wrongdoings and keep us on the straight path. Ameen.

Alexa's handwritten Mother's Day card which she gave to me yesterday. Thank you to E'en and Eqa for helping her with the card =).

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

xoxo Fareiny

What would it take for you to renounce your religion?

2018-02-27T19:13:00.000-08:00

This post is inspired by the apostasy cases which were heard in the Federal Court today. If you'd like to read about the case, you can read about it [here] and [here].

For some reason, the cases made me wonder: what would it take for us to renounce our religion?

I am somehow reminded by the story of Salman the Persian, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. He was born and raised as a Zoroastrian who then converted to Christianity (after meeting a Nestorian Christian group) and afterwards converted to Islam after meeting the Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h.

Three different religions in one lifetime.

For Salman, the decision to renounce the religion of his family, Zoroastrian, was of his own making. And it was the same when he decided to again renounce Christianity.

Can we influence someone to convert to another religion?

A number of examples have shown that we cannot. Point in case: Abu Talib, the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. died without embracing Islam despite being a strong supporter of the Prophet and even though the Prophet asked him to pronounce the shahadah on his deathbed, he did not do so.

Even in the case of Salman the Persian, he was imprisoned by his family (which he escaped from later) after he converted to Christianity.

Why? Matters regarding faith rests in the heart of man, for we cannot lie to ourselves and bow down (prostrate) to what we do not believe in. We have been given free will, hence we have the freedom to choose and decide in which faith do we want to profess to.

"... And know that Allah intervenes between a man and his heart and that to Him you will be gathered." (Surah Al Anfal 8: 24)

In a hadith the Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. mentions, "Verily, the hearts of all the sons of Adam are between the two fingers out of the fingers of the Compassionate Lord as one heart. He turns that to any (direction) He likes." Then the Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. said: "O' Allah, the Turner of the hearts, turn our hearts to Thine obedience."

Thus we could say that matters of the faith is a reflection of the heart of man. If your heart turns to another faith, perhaps then, that is what it takes for you to renounce your religion to another.

I pray that we all be guided and may our hearts be kept steadfast on the straight path. Ameen.

xoxo Fareiny

Defining Me

2018-02-27T01:49:00.001-08:00

What kind of person would you say you are?

A few days ago I saw a post on my Facebook timeline. It was a video of a socialite, showcasing her collection of designer handbags, shoes and clothes.

Seeing the video, I felt a huge sigh of relief... Because material things such as handbags, shoes and clothes does not define who I am. Perhaps it may have when I was younger (or I perceive it to be a definitive part of me then), but it certainly does not define who I am, now.

Who I was, but no longer am. Alhamdulillah.

So let's revisit my first statement: How do you define the person that you are?

I am going to be turning 40 in a few years and one of the things that I am grateful for is the ability to be comfortable (very comfortable, really) in my own skin, accepting me for who I really am (flaws and all) and not really bothering about what people say/ think/ talk of me. It does not bother me if people do not like me, because really, there's no pleasing everybody and no matter what happens, I will be the same person unless and until I decide to change. Besides, what people say/ think/ talk is actually a reflection of the person that they are so it is always best to let them be.

Back to the question of defining oneself.

Some people define themselves by the career that they have, the kids that Allah has bestowed upon them, the friends that they have around them or even the amount of wealth that they have amassed. I have discovered that as much as I love my career, my family, my friends and money (or the amount of comfort that money brings), I do not want to be defined by those things, for indeed they are fleeting.

Allah give what He wills and Allah can take back what He wills.

So, let's do a stock check, and find out:

(1) How do you feel about yourself?
(2) Are you happy with the person that you are/ becoming?
(3) If yes, Alhamdulillah.
(4) If no, then why aren't you happy with yourself?
(5) Is there anything that you wish to change about yourself?

Social media is a huge influencer in our lives. The purpose of this blogpost (and the main reason why I've decided to reactivate my blog) is simply because of how much social media has taken over our lives and how some people (especially the younger generation) are influenced by the amount of 'likes' and 'comments' that they have on their social media accounts.

One of the defining moments of my life, reaching the top of Mulu Pinnacles. The climb up and down Mulu Pinnacles took me 13 hours (a friend of mine completed the whole climb in about 9 hours).

You are defined by the things that you do, and what you commit your mind to.

What people think of you and your posts should not be a benchmark of who you are. And besides, life is never about having a '5 seconds of fame' moment or being viral on the internet. It is so much more than that. It's about making a mark on this world and leaving a footprint of who we are - for which we will be judged upon by Allah in the hereafter.

So, define yourself carefully. You are unique. And don't let who you are be defined by someone other than you.

Love and positivity, always.

xoxo Fareiny

New year, new blog and a not-so-new, me!

2018-02-26T23:17:00.002-08:00

*cough*cough*

Hello there!

It's been a year and here I am dusting the cobwebs on my blog, trying to figure out whether I should continue blogging or just continue leaving it as it is and pursue my other non-interests such as wiping snot off Alexa's nose or changing Isabel's diapers now that she's pooped for the third time in the same day (kidding!).

It's challenging being a working mom. Though in good times and bad times, Allah's plans are the best of plans, Alhamdulillah. May Allah protect them from all that is evil and make them strong like Khadijah a.s. (the wife of our Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h.). Ameen!

Anyway, since I've been away from the blogging space, my thoughts on I should be writing this and that, unfortunately, refuse to leave me, for I do love writing. So here we are, back here, with me thinking of the things that I should write more of and trying to fit blogging into my already packed schedule.

Ah well, I've made up my mind and hopefully you'll see more of me (my writing at least), in this space.

Until then, love and positivity always!

xoxo Fareiny

Introducing Raden Isabel Asiya

2017-02-10T00:48:00.000-08:00

So I've been busy lately. I haven't been able to update my blog due to me having shifted my priorities and making my PhD my number one priority these days. Any other events, have to take a backseat, unless of course, it involves birth and labor, which, like it or not, have to be the number one priority when the time comes.

Us in Sri Lanka, June 2016.

Anyway, we (me and hubs, obviously) discovered that I was pregnant after we came home from our trip to Sri Lanka in June. Alhamdulillah we've always wanted another child and we are extremely grateful to be granted another opportunity. Fast forward months later, just like my pregnancy with Alexa, the baby is 40 weeks overdue and there is a high chance of me undergoing a caesarian as not only the baby is overdue, but I also have gestational diabetes, which poses a risk to the baby.

Since I was overdue, and although the baby was already engaged, my cervix wasn't dilated as yet. My doctor suggested that I go for a balloon catheter induction which is available at the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) which would give me a chance to proceed with normal delivery. Otherwise, the alternative would be a caesarian delivery.

Because we were rooting for a normal delivery, we decided to try the balloon induction and my ob-gyn proceeded with a referral letter for SGH. On Thursday, 28th January I packed my stuff and then proceeded to SGH for the induction, and prayed for a normal delivery. Registered at the labor ward (Level 4) at 9 pm and my condition was examined by a doctor a few minutes later. She reported the results of her examination to a senior doctor about an hour later. The senior doctor conducted a vaginal examination and declared that my cervix was 3 cm dilated and that I did not need an induction. She even declared that I would deliver the following morning. Little did I know that she was right in her prediction.

The tiny person who's hijacked my sleep (for now).

At 12 midnight, I was wheeled to Level 5, given a bed and a change of clothes and was informed that if I felt any contraction or feel that I am nearing labor, I could request for a vaginal examination. If (based on the examination) my cervix was dilated to 4 cm, I would be brought to the delivery room at Level 4. By 2 am I was ready for bed; I had performed my prayers and there were some Braxton Hicks, but nothing to be alarmed about. By 4 am, the pain started to get more intense, so I asked the nurse for a vaginal exam. The nurse said that I had already dilated to 5 cm and would be wheeled to the delivery room once they had an available bed. 20 minutes later, I was in the delivery room, strapped with to a fetal monitor and by that time, the contractions were quite intense that I actually had asked the doctor for epidural.

The nurses proceeded to fill in some forms, asked me a couple of questions which (in my dazed state) some I was able to answer while the rest, I mumbled incoherent words. With almost zero sleep, an empty stomach and parched throat, I wasn't exactly on cloud nine. At 6.30 am, the anaesthetist came and proceeded to warn me the risks of an epidural. I insisted that I wanted an epidural. She then told me to sit up (I was lying down all this while), to which I tried to do with much difficulty. I then told her that I can't sit up properly because I felt a strong urge to poop. She told me to lie down and then informed another doctor to perform a vaginal exam to check if my cervix was fully dilated. Surprise, surprise, it was fully dilated to 10 cm and I (apparently) was in labor. Obviously, I did not get the epidural (much to the relief of the anaesthetist).

All of a sudden the delivery room was filled with nurses and they proceeded to cheer me to push when I feel a contraction coming. As a newbie (my first born was delivered via c-section), I wasn't able to push well, and the lack of sleep and lack of food obviously did not help my condition. The baby came out after three or four pushes later at 7.16 am, weighing 3.47 kg. Alhamdulillah, I only suffered a second degree tear and did not require any episiotomy. But I do need some stitches.

Raden Isabel Asiya, three hours after birth. Hubs liked the name Bella so we decided on Isabel which means devoted to God and Asiya is the wife of the Pharaoh and one of those who is promised Jannah (refer to the Quran, 66:11) or you can also read a Facebook post about her (click here).

Hubs came in to the delivery room a few minutes later. He wasn't allowed to come in during the delivery because at 7 am, nurses and doctors would change shifts and while they hand over their tasks to the incoming medical team, no visitors are allowed until the new shift has settled in. Post birth, the nurses proceeded with allowing me to breastfeed Isabel right after the stitches were done.

Our first selfie, Day 1 of Raden Isabel Asiya.

So all praise be to Allah for granting me the VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarian) which I so desperately wanted, granting my wish of a vaginal delivery without episiotomy (which I kept praying for as well) and allowing me to breastfeed Isabel after birth as well.

And for those who are preparing for birth, here are some of the things that I did to prepare myself for birth:

1. Exercise - Towards the 9th month, I'd walk a couple of kilometres (almost) every day to ensure that my body is in optimum condition. Exercising not only helps during birth (we need our muscles to push), but also helps us to recover faster. Other than walking, in the final month, I did squats 100 times a day and also kegel exercises to ensure that my pelvic muscles are strong.

2. Educate myself - I have attended a hypnobirthing class before with Sister Nadine Ghows, and proceeded with a short refresher with Cikgu Chris in December. This really helped me to practice deep breathing (during the initial Braxton Hicks and in between contractions). The visualisation technique from the class also helped and without it, I do think I would be in a different state during birth.

3. Make dua'a - I made a LOT of dua'as during my pregnancy and even the night before delivery. I am a firm believer that Allah will grant you what you ask for (unless it is not the best for you, of course) and Alhamdulillah, I got what I asked for and more.

4. Perineal Massage - Unfortunately I did not do this enough. I only managed to attempt a perineal massage a couple of times before delivery. I personally think that if done consistently, you could avoid (or minimise) the tear in your perineum during delivery.

5. Aromatherapy oils - I am extremely grateful to Cikgu Chris for providing me with aromatherapy oils a couple of weeks before the delivery. I used them everyday and I do think they helped to quicken the labor as well as help me to be in a calmer state of mind during delivery.

6. Proper diet - I read somewhere that pregnant women who eat (at least six) dates everyday have shorter labor than those who didn't. So I included dates in my daily breakfast and although I am not sure how short is a short labour, mine was a little over 3 hours so to me I suppose the dates did help.

And that is my birth story with Raden Isabel Asiya. Those who would like to know more about hypnobirthing, you can check out Nadine's class at Gentle Beginnings (click here) or Cikgu Chris's class at Borneo Bellies, Birth and Babies (click here). Inshaa Allah once I have the time, I'll update my review on giving birth at SGH soon (I hope).

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Fashionista's Hotel Review: Memoire Hornbill Hotel

2016-10-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

Holla!

My internet connection has gone a bit bonkers the past few weeks (I had limited internet connectivity but wasn't able to upload photos due to the line disconnecting every 10 minutes or so), so am only able to complete and upload this blog now that I've settled things with my internet provider. My humble apologies on the late posting of this blogpost.

Anyway, a few weeks ago we had the opportunity to tour around one of Kuching's boutique hotels, the Memoire Hornbill Hotel located at Jalan Keretapi (3rd Mile, next to McDonalds), and here's a photoblog of the visit:

Hotel lobby. We were warmly received by Mr Chanthy and Mr Rock.

Rattan swings and lounges at the lobby. Such a relaxing ambience. I could hang out here all day!

One of the bedroom suites at the hotel. Each room depicts the warm Cambodian hospitality, with earth and natural hues decorating its interior.

Facilities and basic amenities available in the bedroom.

Twin-sharing room. Plush comfortable pillows and snuggly blankets, what more could a traveler ask for?

Another bedroom suite, this time decorated in blue and yellow. I am sure kids (and adults too) would love the rattan swing =).

They have two bedrooms which can accommodate those with special needs. The room and bathroom is comfortable enough to fit a wheelchair.

Bedroom suite.

Food stalls in front of the hotel.

Various choices await (they even have ice-cream!).

Big screen, perfect for football matches and other sporting events.

So what do I think about Memoire Hornbill Hotel?

For one thing, I love the fact that it's so convenient to get food. The availability of various food stalls within a few steps of the front door of the hotel. There's also a large screen tv within the compound which is perfect for football matches, the world cup or even the Olympic games. If you came to Kuching in a car, or if you have a rented car with you, there's plenty of parking spaces within the hotel's vicinity. What I found to be impressive about the hotel is the availability of rooms for those with special needs. There are not many hotels who are able to cater to their needs and provide specially designed bathrooms so that a wheelchair can comfortably navigate in and out of the bathroom. This makes it very, very convenient for those with special needs to attend to their needs. Other than the lobby, there's also waiting areas on different floors complete with rattan chairs for guests to hang out and chill.

Alexa trying out the swing. Don't worry dear, I don't think you're that heavy =P.

The hotel has other facilities such as a function room which is perfect for small and intimate functions, weddings and gatherings so do give them a call at 082-413551 if you want to check their other facilities.

One for the photo album! Thank you Tressa for inviting me, I absolutely loved the hotel and how it caters not only for the usual travellers, but also to those with special needs as well.

Would I recommend the hotel? Obviously! A comfortable boutique hotel, with a huge selection of food (and McDonalds if you love the fast-food chain), charming and attentive staff and a very economical price, you can be sure that you're trip to Kuching will be a great one. Do check out the hotel's website [here] and Facebook page [here] for more info.

Happy holidays!

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Fashionista's Review: Grill Wine Cafe (GWC)

2016-09-15T22:49:00.001-07:00

The other night we were invited by our friends at Memoire Hornbill Hotel to try out their new eatery, Grill Wine Cafe (GWC) at Jalan Keretapi, Kuching. Obviously we were excited, as the cafe does not only serve western food, but Cambodian cuisine as well. Having visited Siem Reap a couple of years ago and Phnom Penh about four years ago, I absolutely love Cambodian food. The Cambodian beef are tender and juicy and their dishes are simply scrumptious!

Here's a photoblog of our visit:

The exterior of the cafe. It has a very distinctive masculine design, the whole ambience was quiet and very private. The setting is great for a quiet and romantic dinner for two.

The interior of the cafe. The chairs and tables were very comfortable, the servers were absolutely polite and they catered to our every need.

The interior of the cafe. Love, love, love the decor and ceiling of this cafe. As Cambodian food is one of their specialty, we asked for Cambodian food and these are what we had...

Cambodian Beef Lok Lak.

A famous Cambodian dish, it is served with steamed rice, salad and sunny side up fried egg. What I love about this dish is that, it's not too spicy (because Alexa had some as well), the beef was tender and juicy and I love the gravy. Yummy!

Cambodian Red Chicken Curry.

I unfortunately had a sore throat, thus was not able to fully enjoy this dish. Hubs loved it, by the way. The curry was fabulous, it has just the right amount of consistency, wasn't too thick and slightly spicy with just the right amount of curry.

Cambodian Amok Fish.

I also wasn't able to enjoy this dish due to the sore throat unfortunately. Hubs however, proclaimed this as his favourite dish in the cafe. The dish is has a slightly spicy taste, with a rich and creamy consistency.

Us with Mr Chanthy, Operations Manager of Memoire Hornbill Hotel.

So, what can I say about the restaurant?

As someone who loves eating out, I love both the food and ambience of the restaurant. In terms of Cambodian food, we were hoping to try Lembu Naik Bukit (a Cambodian dish that we had in Siem Reap) but unfortunately they didn't have it on the menu. Although we were told, you can try to ask the chef nicely if he can accommodate your request, and you might just be lucky! Anyway, the food was awesome, ambience, even more so. The place is a perfect setting I suppose for either a date night with hubs or even a catching up session with my girlfriends (can't wait to bring them there!).

Do take note that, all food are sourced from halal sources, but, they do serve wine and alcohol.

The restaurant is located in the same building as McDonalds (3rd Mile), just walk along the pathway from McDonalds and you'll find the restaurant to your left.

To know more, do visit their website [here] or their Facebook page [here]. For reservations, you can call them at +6082-413551.

Will definitely be back to try their steaks. Bon Appetit!

Did I mention that they have a hotel too? I'm going to blog about the hotel next. Wait for my next post!

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

To vaccinate or to not vaccinate, that is the question

2016-07-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

Last week I brought my lil' bub, Alexa, with me to KL. While walking towards the Arrival Hall in KLIA, we stopped at an ATM kiosk, and (it's weird how a mum's brain tends to notice the strangest thing) nearby, a lady sneezed. I thought to myself, if this lady is carrying any viruses, Alexa could get infected. True enough (although I am not in any way blaming the lady), Alexa developed signs of fever the very next night. Her body temperature rose to 37.4 degrees celsius and we were worried enough to bring her to the doctor the very next morning.
At the doctor's office, we found that she only has a mild fever, and her throat was slightly inflamed (her tonsils were okay). So the doctor prescribed some paracetamol and gave some probiotics for her. We fed Alexa the paracetamol as scheduled (she rejected the probiotics) and gave her as much liquids as she can manage. That night, her temperature soared to above 39 degrees celsius.
The very next day, she started developing a cough. We gave her some honey to help with the cough, but by this time, it was obvious that she was not well. She did not want to speak. All she did all day is sleep (in between bottle feeds) and the only food that we managed to get into her was porridge. We decided to bring her to another doctor the next day. That night, her temperature had also risen to above 39 degrees celsius, she was clearly uncomfortable, she kept tossing and turning (she clearly couldn't sleep) and we tried our level best to make her comfortable.
By this time, it was already day 4 of her fever and day 3 of her cough. We brought her to a specialist this time. The specialist confirmed that she had fever. Body temperature was 39.4 degrees and her tonsils were swollen. The specialist prescribed a new set of meds (along with coughing syrup and antibiotics) and we stopped giving Alexa the previous doctor's medicine. That night, Alexa's temperature had still risen to above 39 degrees celsius (her body temperature seems to increase at night and it stays that way until wee hours of the morning) and because she had to fly back to Kuching with hubs the next day, we decided to hold against giving antibiotics until they were in Kuching (Doc told us to keep the antibiotics in the fridge once it's mixed with water, so we decided we could wait for a day before giving her antibiotics).

Day 5, Alexa still had the fever and cough and by now she had developed a bit of the flu as well. I told hubs that if it continues, perhaps, he could bring Alexa to another doctor the next day. That night, Alexa's body temperature had still risen to above 39 degrees. To be honest, this is the worst fever that Alexa has ever experienced in her whole life.

Day 6, hubs brought Alexa to another doctor (3 doctors in 6 days, I know) and he told Alexa to continue with the meds that the specialist had prescribed. Alexa's body temperature remained at 39 degrees. Alexa was still weak, all she did is sleep and rest all day. At night her body temperature continued to rise and her coughing was getting worst.

Day 7, hubs decided to bring Alexa to the emergency department at Normah Medical Specialist because her condition looked to be quite serious. We had both agreed that if it is necessary, perhaps Alexa is better off being warded in the hospital. The doctor inserted some medicine into her bum to reduce her body temperature and they also used the nebuliser on her. Four doctors in 7 days. Alhamdulillah from this moment onwards her body temperature slowly improved, she was still slightly feverish, but never above 39 degrees celsius.
Day 8, body temperature reduced significantly to 37.4 degrees and she started behaving normally at certain moments during the day. The cough unfortunately was still there.
Day 9, no more signs of fever *hurrah*. Until today (Day 11), it seems she is back to her usual self, body temperature is normal. However, there are still random bouts of coughing but it's not as serious as previously. Inshaa Allah, she will be in tip top condition by Eid.

Now, with the news on Diphtheria in Malaysia (here's a link to the news on Diphtheria), you must be wondering, is Alexa vaccinated?

Yes, she is. However, the child specialist (the 2nd doctor that we visited) pointed out that we forgot to give her the 18 months vaccine. In our defence, we actually did go to the doctor for the vaccine but at that time, it was out of stock and we eventually forgot to follow up with the doctor.

Second question, was it Diphtheria?

No, it was not. She did not have any signs of thick gray membrane covering her throat and tonsils and she also did not have any difficulty in breathing. Do take note that other than for that one vaccination that we forgot, Alexa has received all her vaccinations in full as recommended by the health ministry.
And if it was, Alexa would definitely had been warded (and be part of the statistics). And that was the motivation behind seeing all those doctors. You might think that it is a waste to see a doctor every two days but for us, firstly, for several days, her body temperature had actually risen to 39.4 degrees. And Diphtheria symptoms usually show 2 - 7 days after you've been infected. Although she has been vaccinated, we wanted to confirm that it was not Diphtheria (hence the different doctor visits just to make sure that we had a second, third and fourth opinion) and secondly, we also wanted to be sure that she did not need to be warded.

To this day, when I think about her condition and what she had been through, a thought goes through my mind:

If she wasn't vaccinated, could it have been Diphtheria?

In all honesty, I don't know. But one thing I do know, I don't want her to have it.

So lately there's been a lot of discussion going back and forth between pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine parents. To all parents, I respect your choice, either to vaccinated or not-vaccinate your children. I am sure you have a good reason for it. And your reasons may be justified by valid claims. However, I would like to highlight one thing:

It was so easy for Alexa to get caught with this fever and cough. Admittedly it could be due to the fact that Alexa travels a bit more than other toddlers her age. But then again, don't you think your child interacts with a lot of people throughout the day? Some may justify that their kids are homeschooled and they stay indoors all day long. But is that healthy (staying indoors all day) and the right thing for a child's development? Your child will be in contact with different people and especially for kids who are in daycare/ kindergarten, there's a lot more interaction involved.

I believe that all parents are pro-life. That's why you decided to have children in the first place. But would you be willing to risk that life? You may be able to control the food that they eat, the environment that they are in when they are at home, but you are unable to control all other various factors such as the people that they come in contact with and the environment outside your home.

This reminds me of a beautiful hadith by the Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. which was reported by Anas ibn Malik,

"A man said, "O Messenger of Allah, should I tie my camel and trust in Allah, or should I untie her and trust in Allah?" The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him said, "Tie her and trust in Allah."

If we were to follow that hadith, it could be adapted to the current situation as, vaccinate your children, and put your trust in Allah.

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Fashionista's Review: De' Bams, the new name in Kids Fashion

2016-07-01T08:19:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I was contacted by the beautiful ladies at De' Bams, inviting me to try out their kids apparel for my lil' bub, Alexa. Naturally I was excited because, for one thing, I am a strong supporter of the local industry and for another thing, these are two lovely mothers who create beautiful products while at the same time supporting local Malaysian businesses, just like I do.

De' Bams was established by two BFFs (what an innovative partnership, I must say) who draw inspiration from their own children. They specialise in statement onesies and t-shirts; all designs are originally designed by themselves and the best part is, they do collaborations with other stay-at-home moms in the creation of some of their products. Masha Allah, I am definitely envious of how much girl power that these super-mommies emanate. All designs have one common theme, to channel a positive and playful vibe from the clothes that they make; perfect for growing up kids. And *drumroll* all products are 100% Made in Malaysia *hurrah*.

So the package from De' Bams arrived last week and I was fortunate to have Alexa with me in KL at the time, so, perfect timing to see how the clothes would fit her.

The unboxing.

The package from De' Bams came in a brown box, complete with a round turquoise sticker with De' Bams label on it. Inside were two statement t-shirts, one blue and white "I'm feeling awesome" shirt and another bright pink "Playful and Cheerful" shirt. There were two flared cotton pants as well, and I absolutely adore the frills at the bottom of the pants. They add style to the outfit, without restricting a child's movements (i.e. Alexa would be able to run, walk, sit and stretch comfortably in the pants without any impediment).

What I really love about De' Bams is the quality of their material. The choice of material that they use for the clothes are high quality material. Both the shirts and pants are made of 100% cotton. The material is thick (i.e. not the usual flimsy materials that you would get for children's clothing). To compare, I would have to say that their material is slightly thicker than the material used by Pumpkin Patch. Why I am emphasising on the material is because, for one thing, kids (especially toddlers) tend to get themselves into various situations and if they aren't careful, they have the tendency to tear (or at least make a hole) in their clothing. With the quality of material used by De' Bams, I am very confident that these clothes will be able to weather Alexa's antics. And because it's made of 100% cotton, the material is cool and breathable, perfect for hot summer days (which we have all year round in Malaysia).

I'm Feeling Awesome.

We brought Alexa to the playground to test out how comfortable she would be in the outfit. As you can see, she's enjoying herself, and in all sincerity, her facial expression along with the statement shirt just made my day!

Love 'em frills at the bottom of the pants. Retro is definitely the way to go.

We tried the second outfit a few days later, just in time for her flight to Kuching. Unfortunately she was slightly under the weather on that day so we wanted her to be in something that is comfortable, breathable and at the same time thick enough for the plane ride.

To see how comfortable she is in her outfit, we've made a video of her trying her best to give her first YouTube tutorial. Do let me know what you think of the video =).

In all honesty, I love De' Bams and I do recommend mothers out there to try them out. I believe that, yes, it is necessary for us to support the local industry but even more so when they create such beautiful and high quality products. They have more designs available (and for various ages) so do visit their website [here] and you can also stay current with them by following them on their Facebook page [here] or Instagram [here].

Proud to be supporting a Made in Malaysia product.

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Fashionista's Review: Kuehpedia, Bringing the Groove Back to Old School Kopitiams

2016-06-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

I had meant to write this post sooner but unfortunately Alexa had gotten sick right after we landed in KL and when she had left for Kuching last Sunday, I was swamped with deadlines and had to complete some errands before I leave for my Eid break. Alhamdulillah I had finally completed my work earlier today and now I am (almost) on Eid mode. I'll be singing Eid songs all the way to Kuching this Sunday, woot! woot!

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of breaking fast at Kuehpedia with my pal, Farhah. I've heard of Kuehpedia before (believe me, Kuehpedia has been trending on my Facebook timeline), but unfortunately, as I haven't been back to Kuching for a while, I had not had the chance to visit and try out the cafe. Luckily Farhah called us up for their breaking fast session and let me just say that it was absolutely awesome.

Don't believe me? Let me show you some photos just to show you how awesome Kuehpedia is:

They had a Ramadhan buffet promotion when I was there. I had all the traditional Malay food such as ulam, ikan tahai, sayur nangka, midin belacan and sayur keladi along with some of the modern Malay food such as butter chicken and daging masak kicap. Let me just say, they were all scrumptious. I loved every bit of them and I especially love their sambal belacan. It was the perfect iftar for me!

Some of the traditional cakes that we had. We actually had more but they made it to the tummy first before I managed to take a photo of them. And by the way, the fried fritters next to that Kueh Perahu is actually kurma goreng. Yummy!

Ended my dinner with a cup of teh tarik =).

Buffet spread.

Some of their buffet spread.

Buffet spread for the cakes. I loved the fact that they had loads of traditional cakes.

Let me just add a few comments about their buffet spread before I show you some photos of the interior of the cafe. Firstly, I love the fact that they cook fabulous traditional Sarawakian food. Some of the food are not easily available in Kuching, such as ikan tahai, thus Kuehpedia definitely offers something unique to their customers. I also loved their traditional cakes. They are delicious and those such as kueh bongkol and kueh perahu were absolutely scrumptious!

The Ramadhan buffet were priced at RM30 per person (for adults) and RM15 (for children) which I think is an absolute steal with the array of food that they are serving. The place was filled to the brim with customers and they even had to reject walk-in customers because there was no more space, masha Allah.

Unfortunately, the buffet promotion is only available in Ramadhan (I imagine there will be a long queue for next year's Ramadhan) but after Eid they will be open for business as usual. I actually would love to try out their breakfast spread. Soon, Fareiny, soon =).

Here are some photos of the cafe:

Food and drinks counter.

Cafe interior. Photo courtesy of Kuehpedia's Facebook page.

Trinkets and cakes.

The Iban warrior. I absolutely adore this mural.

The set up at the first floor. Photo taken by Farhah.

Kuehpedia has a private room available for private bookings and functions on their first floor. On the day that I came for iftar, they had a private booking where the guests requested to eat and sit on the floor (traditional style). Uber cool!

The first floor set up. Photo taken by Farhah.

Decor in the private room. Photo taken by Farhah.

Thank you Farhah for inviting me over and Kuehpedia is such a gem. I can't wait to come over again.

Kuehpedia exterior. Photo courtesy of Kuehpedia's Facebook page.

Kek Lapis Citrawarna. Photo courtesy of Kuehpedia's Facebook page.

For now (until Eid), Kuehpedia will be focusing on their Kek Lapis business and those who are looking for cakes and other delicacies to be served to guests this Eid, do drop by and check out their selection of scrumptious cakes.

If you're wondering where Kuehpedia is, it's located at Wayang Street (not far from Medan Pelita, some locals used to call the building Star Cineplex). If you're unsure of where it is, feel free to call them at 010-9710606.

For more info on Kuehpedia (and to be updated on their promotions) do follow their Facebook page [here]. Let's support the local industry (especially the yummy ones) *wink*.

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

The concept of Rizq in Islam

2016-06-07T21:31:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I attended one of the Al-Maghrib courses (I've forgotten which course unfortunately), and this story have made quite an impression on me, so much that I've never forgotten the story ever since.

Once Saidina Ali a.s. was riding a horse to a place and when it was time for prayer, he stopped at a nearby mosque. He told a man who was standing nearby to look after his horse until he comes back from his prayer. After praying, Saidina Ali a.s. went towards his horse with the intention to pay the man 4 dinars for taking care of the horse but he found that both the man and the saddle of his horse was missing. He rode on his horse in search of the man and arrived at a market place where he found another man selling the same saddle which was stolen from his horse.
Saidina Ali a.s. approached the seller and asked him the price at which he bought the saddle. The seller told him that he had bought the saddle for 4 dinars. Saidina Ali a.s. narrated to his companion that it was his intention to pay the man 4 dinars, and that 4 dinars was the destiny of the man (i.e. his rizq) but he chose to obtain his rizq through haraam means.

What this means is that your provisions (i.e. your rizq) have already been determined by Allah. You will get what Allah have intended for you to receive. However, it is up to you to earn your livelihood, whether the halal or the haraam way.

The concept of rizq in Islam is one of the most interesting concepts that I have ever come across. For one thing, rizq is not confined to only money, but also to good health, having children, a supportive spouse, a supportive family and many others. Rizq is made up of all that Allah has given you and the ability to be productive and beneficial in this world. Even the knowledge that you have is also rizq. One of the best rizq to have is definitely having your parents around, because they are your keys to Jannah. So if they are still alive, make sure to ask them to make loads of dua'a for you and use this opportunity to earn as much barakah as you can.

One of the funny things about rizq is that what you earn i.e. your salary/ wages etc, may not be entirely for you. There's somebody else's rizq in it too. That happens when you give out your money for charity, spend for your family and even when your money gets stolen, the rizq is not for you. It is only yours when you have consumed it, even the food that you eat can fall to the ground before reaching your mouth, indicating that it was not your rizq.

For those who are worried about their rizq, remember that Allah has written the portion that you will receive and indeed, that portion will reach you, just be patient and make loads of dua'a. And you can also practice reciting these two dua'as:

اللَّهُمَّ اكْفِنِي بِحَلَالِكَ عَنْ حَرَامِكَ وَأَغْنِنِي بِفَضْلِكَ عَمَّنْ سِوَاكْ

(Allaahumma-kfinee bihalaalika 'an haraamika wa aghninee bifadhlika 'amman siwaak)

"O Allah, save me from haraam and make the halaal sufficient and by your boon/favour make me independent from others".

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْبُخْلِ وَالْجُبْنِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ غَلَبَةِ الدَّيْنِ وَقَهْرِ الرِّجَالِ

(Allaahumma innee a'oodhu bika minal-hammi wal-hazan, wa aa'oozubika minal-'ajzi walkasal, wa aa'oozubika minal-bukhli waljubni, wa aa'oozubika minal ghalabatid-dayni wa kohrir-rijaal)

"O Allah I seek refuge in You from worry and grief, I seek refuge in You from hopelessness and laziness, I seek refuge in You from miserliness and cowardice and I seek refuge in You from overwhelming debt and from the force of men".

Both are dua'as to settle debt which have been taught by the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. and are as narrated in Timidhi and Abu Dawood.

May Allah relieve us from our debts. Ameen.

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

I NEED vs I WANT

2016-06-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

Today I read a very interesting article online [click here for the article] that asked four different women (with different income brackets) on how they spend their money. Their income ranged between $1,000,000 to one that is on the poverty line. There was a similar article on the spending pattern of four men with incomes ranging similar to the women. What I found to be interesting is their spending pattern.

The millionaire spends very little, so little in fact, if he or she wasn't a millionaire, they would become one simply by how little they spend and how much they save their leftover funds. In fact, the millionaire spends almost as much as the one on the poverty line. The main difference between them is the level of debt, the millionaire has very little debt while the one on the poverty line is struggling to pay his or her debt.

What I find to be interesting is that, in all the men and women interviewed, almost all of them are very aware of how much they spend, how much they save, and how much do they put away for retirement. It is quite humbling to find out that the millionaire only spends about $1,000 ++ in monthly expenses. Although in Malaysia, it would be almost impossible to spend as low as $1,000 per month in monthly expenses due to the difference in prices between Malaysia and the US, but I would have to say, it is doable (if you put your mind to it).

I do try to keep track of how much I am spending in a month. My main issue is commitments, i.e. I have too many bills to pay for, hence, what I need to do is to identify whether I need a certain service or not. As I am currently living in KL, let me give you an example of my expenses here in KL:
1. I do not have a tv (for the reason that I hardly ever watch tv) so I do not have any subscriptions to Astro, Netflix, Iflix or whatever cable tv.
2. I have a broadband connection with Time.com and that is only because my mum requires internet at home (for when she comes to visit, which is quite often). If it was up to me, I could live with just my mobile data and my plan is to terminate this connection once it expires next year (by that time, most probably I would be back in Kuching for good anyway).
3. I paid off my car and so far there's no plans to get a new one.
4. I have one credit card. I used to have two, but I've terminated one of them last year. My current plan is to go for debit card but so far I haven't made that transition. Inshaa Allah next year.
5. I have three mortgages. Two properties are being rented out and is giving me a little bit of income (although not as much as I want them to) and I am staying in one of them. I chose to buy a studio when I moved to KL for the simple reason that it's cheaper to buy (monthly instalments are lower than monthly rent) and I could always sell this apartment once I leave KL (so far there are no plans to sell but we are thinking about setting up an Airbnb business, but that too, is not fixed).
6. I do have a personal loan which I took before I started my PhD. I had to take the loan because I really wanted to further my studies then and I hadn't gotten a scholarship yet. When I got my scholarship, I used the funds remaining from the personal loan to pay as downpayment for my third property. I must admit that taking a personal loan is among my biggest regrets because I think I could have survived without it and yet, now I am paying for it. So, no more personal loans for me in the future, inshaa Allah.
7. Monthly expenses: Petrol (around RM50 or RM70 a week), Food (around RM100 - RM140 per week, it could be more if I go for fancy lunches and dinners), Toiletries and miscellaneous (around RM100 - RM200 per week, it could be more if I sign up for running/ join other activities), utility bills and maintenance fees (RM400 - RM600 per month) and insurance/ takaful for me and Alexa (RM350 per month). I calculated roughly on the minimum side I would have about RM1750 monthly expenses, right?

I don't know whether my current monthly spending is too high or too low, but according to my own calculations, it's quite reasonable. Indeed I do feel that I would prefer to pay lesser bills but so far, I think I have minimised what I can.

So, what gets me into trouble with spending? A few years ago, the main culprit used to be traveling. I used to travel two to three times a year and although by itself, one trip is affordable, but when you have too many trips in a year, my travel budget would be eating into funds which I am supposed to use for other purposes and this contributed to an increase in my credit card debt. I have since reduced my traveling plans while I reorganise my budget and have started to only travel by cash (i.e. pay my flight tickets, accommodation, and any other spending all in cash).
Another big culprit for me is shopping, and perhaps it's the lure of online shopping as I do not go out very often (I currently have very little spare time and I only go to shopping malls if there is a need for something). I have discovered that I have a certain weakness for instagram posts and there are so many beautiful not-to-be-missed items out there. Realising this weakness of mine, I've decided to unfollow some instagram accounts (prevention is definitely better than cure), and go through a mental list in my mind if I want to make a purchase. E.g. let's say I see a pretty dress (I currently love the designs by aere and love-to-dress), I would make a mental note in my head counting the dresses that I have and whether there is a need for a new one. And considering the size of my wardrobe, usually there is no need for a new scarf/ dress/ sandals/ running shoes/ handbags/ running gear etc.
Another spending trap would have to be food because we Malaysians are notorious foodies. However, since I have no time to eat out, so far that is not a problem for me.

So, I'm going to throw out this question to you:

How's your spending like?

For me, I know I don't spend a lot really, simply because I do try to rationalise whether what I intend to buy is a need or a want, and usually it's a want. Before I make that intention to purchase, I evaluate:

1. Do I need new shoes?
I have 2 flats, 2 sneakers, 1 jogger, a pair jungle-trekking shoes, 2 sandals and 2 flip-flops, and these are only from the ones I have in KL, not to mention the ones in Kuching.

2. Do I need a new scarf?
I have been eyeing a scarf from dUCk for a while now but haven't made committed to making the purchase simply because I know I have too many scarfs and I have changed my priorities in spending.

3. Do I need ... ?

In my case, it's apparent that in most cases I don't.

So do you have trouble in your finances?

If you do, my first suggestion is to evaluate your spending pattern. Try to let go of what you do not need. Earlier this year I reduced my phone plan with DiGi and went for a lower bill which suited my needs, and let go of my Maxis broadband for the iPad. Is there a service that you only occasionally use? If you could live without it, then let it go.
For most people, their biggest spending could be bills (then minimise where you can), food (homemade food taste better and are healthier, believe me), travel (we have plenty amazing destinations in Malaysia for us to visit), or even kids (instead of spending money, spend more time with them by bringing them to the library or the park).
If you find that you have too many commitments, although it is recommended to repay the ones with the highest interest, I would recommend (based on my own practice) to repay the smallest amount due. If you have money owing to friends and families, do repay them first because, their dua'a (when you've made payment) could open doors to bigger and better rizq. And then move on to the next one. Identify your weaknesses and address those weaknesses. Have a support partner which would knock some sense into your head and be realistic with yourself.

Always remember that the life of others should not be a benchmark of how you live your life. We see beautiful photos and glamorous lives of celebrities and public figures, and all praise be to Allah for enabling them with more than what they need. But we may not necessarily need to wear what they wear, eat where they eat, drive the car that they drive etc. We attain happiness by being who we are and becoming a better version of ourselves.

If you need to spend, spend more time investing in a better you =).

Have a blessed Ramadhan.

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Fashionista Travels: Robbed in Ho Chi Minh City

2016-05-21T05:31:00.002-07:00

Very recently I saw a friend posting on Facebook a newspaper article on tourists being robbed by taxi drivers in Ho Chi Minh City.

The newspaper article that my friend had posted on Facebook. Thank you Ismandy for highlighting this article on Facebook today.

I've always been wanting to blog about my own experience but I've kind held back from blogging about it because I did not want to re-live the experience. You may have noticed that I did not blog about my trip in Ho Chi Minh City either for the same reason. And I was only able to blog about halal food in Ho Chi Minh [click here for the link] about a year after the trip.

Anyway, it seems that the rogue taxi drivers are getting quite aggressive so I thought it's better for me to share tips on HOW TO SPOT A FAKE TAXI DRIVER IN HO CHI MINH.

Before that, let me share with you what happened.

Us on that fateful day.

It was the second day of our trip. We had just arrived in Ho Chi Minh the day before. We wanted to see the sights and because we had Alexa with us (traveling with a baby is definitely different compared to traveling with just your partner), we decided to join a tour. It was a whole day tour and it included lunch. Unfortunately, the lunch was not halal. We did not join their lunch but we did manage to grab some croissants and hot chocolate at Starbucks.

The tour ended at around 4 pm. It was still early so we decided to ask the bus driver to drop us off near Ben Thanh market where we knew that halal food would be plentiful. Had some food at Salima Halal Restaurant and then we went off to Ben Thanh market in search of souvenirs.

By 6 pm we decided to head back to the hotel. Our hotel is not that far from Ben Thanh market (perhaps about 15 minutes walk) but it had started to rain. Because of Alexa (she was sleeping in the baby carrier at the time) we decided to take a cab and immediately grabbed the one which was conveniently parked in front of Ben Thanh market. The car was painted in white and green, similar to other taxis and there was a meter on the dashboard. Hubs decided to sit in front for safety reasons (he felt that we would be more vulnerable if all of us were sitting at the back).

While the driver was driving, I noticed that the meter was moving pretty fast. That kinda got me slightly worried. And then as I was looking outside, I also realised that the windows were tinted black. Alarm bells started to go off in my head. This doesn't look right, I thought. But he had the meter and there was an ID as well on the dashboard. So I just kept quiet.

And then he stopped by the main road (a very busy intersection) and said (in broken English), he cannot go any further. The road is packed with cars and he is unable to turn into the small road that leads us back to our hotel. He asked for payment.

Since hubs was sitting next to him, hubs asked me to pay (because I was sitting at the back, and thus at a distance to the driver). Took out money from my wallet and paid the amount on the meter. The driver got angry and said not enough. He then took all the cash that I had in my hand.

Bear in mind, Alexa was sleeping at the time in the baby carrier. Hence, Alexa is positioned in between me and the driver. I did not know what happened to hubs because he suddenly started asking me to just give my money to the driver. It was weird for me that hubs did not seem to notice him taking my money and instead asked me to just give the driver more money.

The driver noticed that I had more cash in my wallet. He took a newspaper and put it next to Alexa's neck. Instinctively, I feared for Alexa's life. I did not know whether there's a knife inside the folds of the newspaper and I certainly do not want to find out. However, I did push the newspaper out of the way and lo and behold, I saw his other hand underneath the newspaper and was inside the opening of my wallet. How did he do that, I don't know. But he was very smooth and cunning. I pulled away my wallet, gave him almost all the money in my wallet (you can always replace the money that you've lost but you definitely cannot replace lives) and satisfied with that, he finally allowed for us to leave the car.

By this time, I was shaking. Hubs, unfortunately, was oblivious. Outside the cab (or fake cab) hubs asked me what had just happened. I said, I was robbed. Hubs was shocked. He thought I was arguing about cab fare (I mean, seriously? Me arguing over cab fare?). We walked slowly to our hotel and told the staff that we had just been robbed. Johny (the receptionist at our hotel) had warned us about being robbed by taxi drivers the day before, but because I was busy tending to Alexa, I only half-listened to him. And funnily enough, we got robbed just the next day.

Now that I've gotten the story off my chest, here's how you SPOT A FAKE CAB in HO CHI MINH CITY.

The city is filled with Vinasun cabs. It's the best cab (most reliable and safe). All tourists are encouraged to take only Vinasun cabs. They are very easy to spot, white and green paint, logo on top of the cab.

Logo by the side of the passenger doors as well and company number.

The Vinasun logo is very visible and easy to see. The phone numbers on all Vinasun cabs are the same. Vinasun cabs are not tinted at all.

This is one of the entrances to Ben Thanh market. Behind the black car, you can see white cars parked at the entrance of the market. That was how we got into the fake taxi. We had just exited the market and (fortunately or unfortunately) there was only one cab in the vicinity. As it was raining, we jumped into the car immediately without checking the logo. We only saw shades of white and green and thought that we were in a Vinasun cab.

And here is a fake cab. Looks similar right? Same white paint and green numbers. But it's not a Vinasun logo. Even the phone number looks almost similar. And if you notice, the windows are tinted black.

Fake cab. Different logo. Black tinted windows. However, car paint color is almost the same to Vinasun.

To compare, this is how a Vinasun cab looks like from the side.

So, I hope this post has been helpful. The reason for me writing this is to ensure that you (my fellow travellers) are safe and able to differentiate between a fake cab and a legitimate cab. Despite the trauma, we went to Ben Thanh market the very next day for the one reason so that we could take photos of these fake cabbies for me could warn others on how to spot them. As Johny (our hotel receptionist) would say, just take Vinasun cabs and nothing else.

Would I go to Ho Chi Minh again? Truth be told, after that incident, I had second thoughts about traveling but now, after having Alexa join me to other countries such as South Korea, Indonesia, China and also on our many trips within Malaysia, I know that it would be very difficult for me to stop traveling. Inshaa Allah, I'll try to take extra caution the next time and make a lot of dua'a for Allah to keep us safe. That being said, if there's an option to rent a car with a driver, I'll go for that option the next time.

Alexa was only 1 year and 3 months old at the time of this trip. All praise be to Allah for keeping us safe. Although we were robbed, we were unharmed. Alhamdulillah.

Do take extra care and enjoy your holiday, peeps!

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Mommyhood: Three Years Later

2016-05-20T20:26:00.003-07:00

Time flies, Masha Allah. Alexa will turn three next week and here I am, amazed that we survived the past three years *phew*. Alexa is still alive and kicking, Alhamdulillah, and she has the makings of a healthy toddler and she also has transitioned well from babyhood to toddlerhood. And no, that doesn't mean that she's a docile, well-behaved toddler, but she's behaving just like a toddler would, loud, opinionated (when she wants to),stubborn, cheeky and I wouldn't want it any other way.

If I have time, one of the things I would do is to bring Alexa to the playground. It's one of the things that I know she looks forward to, she would say, "Alexa mok pegi playgeraon." Unfortunately I don't have the luxury of time (as I am sure most mothers don't have the same luxury as well) but we do what we can, don't we?

Positive signs of toddlerhood (in my opinion) includes: laughing when she's happy, fascination at the weirdest stuff (current fascination includes aeroplanes, escalators *yikes*, and talcum powder), crying out loud when she doesn't get her way (we have a 50-50 rule against this, we let her cry sometimes and we give in sometimes), singing (usually when she's enjoying the moment), stubborn when she wants something and sometimes there's drama (she even knows how to sulk *gosh*). She sometimes wants to pick her own clothes (I've told her, she's not ready for fashion) and even objects to the clothes that we pick for her (when I was smaller, my parents made me wear bright yellow pants with a bright red shirt and never did I object to that). She gets frustrated at me (I mean, seriously?) and I know that because she would have this exaggerated sigh and say, "Mommy tok eh."

I love reading to her and to be honest, I don't read out word by word, usually I just explain the illustrations and on other days, I let her explain them to me =).

Being me, I actually have a mental checklist of things that I want Alexa to learn, and I want to make sure that she has these capabilities before she starts kindergarten. Here are three of them:

Alexa at Benbino's, Publika. Love their set up and I know Alexa enjoyed herself as well. Would have enjoyed the place better if they had bigger portions (most are kid-sized portions so you kinda have to order more food).

1. Be Happy in Her Own Skin
I think we've achieved that so far. We try (very hard) to give constructive criticism when we can. It's not easy I must say (coming from an Asian family where criticism is a culture), and so far we haven't been really successful with this (I'd say my success rate is perhaps 20 - 30%) but I do try to remind myself to say things in a positive manner instead of a negative manner. But Alhamdulillah so far she is happy and hopefully she'll learn to be confident next.
How do I know that she's happy? Firstly, she's very excited to share what she's up to. We sent her to kindergarten for a few days, she cried for the first couple of days but by the third day she came home all happy, bubbly and all excited. There were lots of singing involved on the drive home. She also has her solo playtime and she likes to play make believe with her lego toys. She gives them her milk bottle (I told her the milk bottle is too big for the lego man) and puts them to sleep (arranging them properly on the bed and putting the blanket over them and petting them to sleep).

Alexa having fun at one of the conferences which we had attended. Alhamdulillah the conference organisers do provide toys for the kids to play with which is absolutely great.

2. To Share What She Has with Others
This is a work in progress but I want her to have the ability to be kind and not be afraid to share. So far this is working only half of the time but Alhamdulillah, at least she's trying.
This is how I do it:
Whenever we go for conferences or events, I would buy/ pack a packet of crayons or color pencils and a drawing block for her. Besides that (if I remember to), I would also buy a set of stickers and a packet of balloons. Kids just love stickers and balloons. Then we would also have one or two books handy (because we hope to foster her interest in reading as well). During conferences, in the mother's room, I would have her color/ play with balloons/ stickers or read her book. Other kids would come (kids are naturally curious) and I would encourage Alexa to share her stuff with them. The first couple of times it was difficult for her to share but after the third time or so, she's more comfortable with sharing. I do notice most parents do bring toys for their kids but they are very afraid of sharing (to the point that they would tell the kids to give back Alexa's crayons/ stickers/ balloons etc).

This is us at Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan's session at Masjid Wilayah.

Personally I feel that that is not the right approach to sharing. The best way would have been to teach the kids to ask for permission in using other people's stuff (it's the perfect occasion for it) and let them play with each other. And once the playtime is over, also encourage the kids to return whatever items that's not theirs. I feel that the parents are the best example to the kids and if we want our children to be generous and kind, we must show how generosity and kindness is practiced in front of the kids so that they can take heed.

Alexa joining my mum and me for Tafseer of Surah Al-Mulk in Shah Alam. As you can see, she always has crayons and a drawing book with her to keep her occupied during the program. As with other toddlers, she does get bored after a while (she does not do this all day). If she needs to run/ walk/ explore, I let her be and just make sure she's within eyesight.

3. Have the Habit of Asking
Kids, being kids, do not know how to ask for things and usually they will snatch the items that they want from the shelves/ other kids etc. I learnt this from a colleague of mine in UiTM when many years ago, she and her family went for visiting to our home for Eid. We had these KFC Hello Kitty figurines in our house and her kids liked them. Her kids were around 7 to 10 years old at the time. When their father saw them playing with the figurines, he asked the kids, did you ask permission? And wonderfully, the kids did ask permission before playing and they even asked if they could keep the figurines and bring them home. What I like about this is that the kids are open and honest, they liked something and they wanted to play with it. They wanted it enough to take them home. And I did give some of them to them, but not all. No tantrums, with proper thank you's and I loved the whole experience. My colleague was slightly embarrassed but to me, hey, there's no need to be embarrassed. Your kids are amazing!
So what we've done is to try and remind Alexa to properly ask for what she needs/ wants and say thank you after. It's still a work-in-progress but Alhamdulillah, she sometimes do it (and sometimes she doesn't). What matters is that we keep on teaching and reminding her to ask, and say thank you (and we show her how it's done as well).

Running to go to kindergarten. Alhamdulillah she is excited about school.

Kids are amazing, they learn the darnest things (so be careful of what you say and do in front of them) and everything is a work-in-progress. As a parent, it does get frustrating sometimes and it gets overwhelming as well. Don't give up and take baby steps together. As much as we are teaching them the necessities of life, they are also teaching us how to be a better person, inshaa Allah. Celebrate small successes and teach them the importance of trying.

Me, a work-in-progress.

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Mia Mikhail 2016 Collection

2016-04-30T19:34:00.005-07:00

Last Friday I was fortunate enough to be invited as a plus one for my pal, Imelda Harris to a fashion show by Mia Mikhail. It was also the official inauguration on their first offline boutique so we were doubly excited about the event.
Mia Mikhail is a three-sisters collaboration to providing exclusive prayer clothes (which we call telekung in Malay) to women. The have launched three different ranges of telekung for their 2016 collection: the cute and colourful Macarons, practical and ready-to-go Travel Telekung and the premium and exclusive range called Regal.

And here are some photos of the event:

The show started with a dance performance. I am amazed how the organisers were able to transform the boutique as the fashion venue. I do understand that obviously space might be slightly constrained but I do applaud them on their creativity in being able to fit everyone and at the same time have a decent amount of space for the runway as well.

Macarons collection. Do excuse me for my amateurish photos. I did not want to get in the way of the professional photographers so I choose to stay put in my seat (thank you to the organisers for providing us front row seats). For better quality photos do look them up in their website or instagram page (link is at the bottom of this page).

The regal collection. I really love how soft the material looks and absolutely adore the colours of this collection. For future shows, (if possible) perhaps the organisers may want to look into improving the lighting in the middle part of the boutique as well.

Us with the models and one of the founders of Mia Mikhail.

Me and Imelda Harris. Babe, thank you for letting me tag along =).

So what can I say about their 2016 collection? Firstly, I love their Macarons range because the colours are very bold while at the same time, the designs are simple, making Macarons attractive ladies who would like to colour coordinate their wardrobe with their prayer clothes. I feel that with such vibrant colours, the Macarons range would definitely be very suitable for the younger (or young at heart) crowd.

The travel collection is definitely perfect for corporate professionals (and busy mothers) who needs a practical telekung (it comes with its own travel bag) which they can just carry anywhere they go (or even stuff them in their handbags). There's a huge element of convenience as well as practical style.
The regal collection is stunningly beautiful. I love the soft shimmer of satin as well as the sparkly flower embroidery on the telekung. It's definitely perfect as a gift to love ones or even as the prayer clothes for Eid.

I had a great time at their show and am definitely proud of this Malaysian homegrown brand. Looking forward to seeing more of their success in the future. To know more, do visit their website [here] or instagram page [here].

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Fashionista's Review: Calligraphy Workshop with KLigraphy

2016-04-25T04:15:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend not one, but three workshops organised by KLigraphy, one on copperplate calligraphy, another on brush calligraphy and the third on chalk lettering.

Okay, you may be wondering how did this come about (since I am the least creative person that my friends know of) and other than creative writing (which I love) and photography, I am no artist. I found out about the course online, from the instagram accounts of inezcalligraphy and inksandletters. Saw a bunch of calligraphy videos and fell in love with calligraphy and decided that I, Fareiny, should learn calligraphy.

And here's my (not so) short photoblog of the workshops:

Day One: Copperplate Calligraphy

This is what greeted me when I came on the first day

A practice pad, a transparent folder to hold the worksheets in place, a cursive alphabet guideline, in two separate jars were Chinese ink and walnut ink, two nibs, a pencil, an oblique holder and a straight holder and finally, of course, my name, nicely written on a place card displayed on a cute little easel.

Light refreshments were provided by mad_treats. The marshmallow cookies were absolutely delicious (I am still thinking about them until today *drool*).

Hi there! My name is...

Inez and Jill giving briefings during the workshop.

We started with a briefing on the tools and basic introduction on copperplate calligraphy and how the whole workshop will be conducted. Our first practice was done with pencil (obviously) as a warm up session. There are upstroke and downstroke techniques, the whys and how to get fine lines and thick lines into our letters.

We also had some hands on demonstrations by Jill.

The main purpose of these demonstrations is to show us how it's done and what effect should we expect from our writing.

Not to be left out, Inez also provided us with hands-on calligraphy demonstrations.

Me with Jill (inksandletters) and Inez (inezcalligraphy) at the end of Workshop # 1.

Hope I can write like this one day =).

Day Two: Brush Watercolour Calligraphy

For brush calligraphy, we were also provided with the necessary practice pad, worksheets, brush pens, a set of watercolours, fine paintbrush, a water brush pen and of course my name written up nicely in watercolour.

Briefing on brush calligraphy.

Demonstrations by Jill.

Yummy food by mad_treats. Major love for their lemon tarts.

And these are what I came up with =)

For brush calligraphy, I actually find it to be more difficult than copperplate calligraphy simply because the brush is softer, thus it is more pliant to pressure. I wasn't able to achieve consistency on my upstrokes (they seemed almost similar to my downstrokes). However, I find that the colours made the words more interesting and fun. And it gave me some ideas on making colourful monograms for lil' bub's bedroom.

Chalk Lettering:

Jill and Inez had a lucky draw in the afternoon for two people to attend their chalk lettering session, and I won! Being not so lucky in lucky draws, I actually gave a small shriek of surprise *heh*.

We were given a chalkboard, a set of chalks, and an instruction booklet cum workbook along with a long ruler and pencil as part of our workshop kit. I find chalkboard lettering to be more difficult than the other two simply because there are more styles to think of and as I mentioned earlier, creativity is not my forte. But despite that, chalk lettering is way more fun and expressive. I can imagine doing this with Alexa in the future.

Among the things that I wrote on my chalkboard.

My final piece (oh okay, this is actually pretty bad and I assure you that my artwork does not in any way reflect Jill and Inez's talent).

Okay, so what can I say about my weekend spent with pens, papers and brushes with Jill and Inez? Firstly, I would have to honestly say that it was an eye-opening workshop. There's so much technicality involved in writing and although it seems pretty difficult at first, calligraphy is actually doable for creatively-challenged people like me. Honestly, all three workshops were awesome. I enjoyed my time during the workshop and I find both instructors to be extremely helpful and clear in their instructions. If you are interested in calligraphy, do visit their website, KLigraphy [here] or you can follow their instagram accounts: inezcalligraphy and inksandletters.

If you'd like to follow my journey (and I promise I'll share some of my calligraphy practice sets) feel free to follow me on Facebook [here] and Instagram [here].

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

The Story Episode 3

2016-04-12T18:16:00.002-07:00

Today was a very busy day for me. Not only I had an event at noon with Ustadha Rayhaanah on Empowering Tools for Stress Management (I blogged about it in my earlier post), but I also have another event at 8 pm, The Story Episode 3 by Generasi Bersatu Malaysia. The Story is actually an event which showcases successful individuals and them sharing on what makes them successful. This time the organisers have invited three successful individuals in various fields; Tan Sri Nadzmi Salleh, the Chairman of Konsortium Transnasional Berhad, Datuk Norman Abdul Halim of KRU Studios and Datuk Aznil Haji Nawawi, Malaysia's No 1 Celebrity Host.

Here are some of the things that I managed to pick up from tonight's event:

Tan Sri Nadzmi Salleh shared most of his experiences and successes from his earlier endeavours, one as the Marketing Manager and later CEO of EON (Edaran Otomobil Nasional) and Proton. Among the tips that he shared is that:

1. Turn the problem into opportunities. He shared one instance when he was at EON and they had to figure out how best to sell Proton (EON is Proton's authorised car distributor) when it had some issues with the car boot. The problem was, the car boot is designed to have a certain amount of space for the spare tyre and that space needs to be covered appropriately. They (at EON) called a manufacturer and asked him what would it cost if he were to manufacture a nice car boot tray to cover the spare tyre. The manufacturer quoted them a price. They then made a study asking buyers how much would they pay for the car boot tray. The buyers stated a price which is double the price of the manufacturer. They consigned the manufacturer to make the trays and then sold it to customers (bundled with selling the car of course) at double the price.

2. Know what is the vision and mission of the firm and move towards achieving that mission and vision.

3. Understand quality. It is knowing who the customers are and what are their expectations.

4. Not only to focus on marketing and sales, but also understand the economics of the business. An example which he shared is in the case of Proton, to manufacture one product line, it needs an investment cost of at least 800 million to 1 billion. Thus, when doing marketing, keep in touch with the numbers/ target that the firm needs to sell in order to break even and make a profit. For Proton, the domestic market is not enough for it to recover its costs. Therefore the firm has to sell overseas in order to meet the numbers. They sold the car overseas at a lower price than the domestic market because they needed to be competitive to the overseas market. And they knew that they only needed to sell above the variable cost because fixed costs becomes lower as more cars are being manufactured and sold.

5. Good performance and best practices must be complimented with innovation and ideas. Here he shared an example of Kodak and how the company had to file for bankruptcy simply because it wasn't keeping up with the changing times.

Datuk Norman Abdul Halim shared on his experiences with KRU, how they first started (with a RM2,000 loan given by the recording company) and how they moved to where they are today as KRU Studios doing films, animations and soon to be gaming and virtual reality. Here are among the things that he shared:

1. It's not necessarily the technology but the people. When they were producing their song AWAS, their recording was made under the stairs (at their home) and they actually used egg trays and pasted the trays on the walls and under the stairs and this helped them to record the song and capture the acoustics that they needed for the song.

2. Datuk Norman likes football, so he used a lot of football terms and jargons in his session. Among them is that, in football, everybody has a different role to play. The striker aims for the goal, the defender ensures no one is able to break through to the team's side, the goalkeeper ensures that the goalpost is safe. The same is for a business organisation. The striker would most probably be the sales and marketing department who ensures that sales targets are made while the defender would be those in finance and accounting, ensuring that the business does not go under and stays afloat. The coach would be the CEO and the management team, determining the strategy of the firm and it's direction.

3. When making decisions, be aware of the state of your mood. Usually wrong (or bad) decisions are made when you are angry, sad or even too happy. Calm yourself down before making a decision.

4. You are bound to make mistakes. That doesn't mean that you have to stop. You have to move on past the mistakes. Clean up and minimise the damage.

Datuk Aznil Haji Nawawi or better known as Pak Nil was the last speaker and the most energetic of them all. Here are among the gems that he shared:

1. The stage is never big enough. He shared on his experiences from working at MISC and being on tv commercials, then moving to becoming a news presenter with TV3. After that he moved to being a game show host with Popkuiz and then as the host of Akademi Fantasia and then having his own show Macam-Macam Aznil and later having his own show with Channel E! What you have achieved today is not enough. Go and try to achiever bigger and better things.

2. You only have one chance. Do it right. Grab it and don't let go. When you love your job, you will never let it go. Never ever.

3. You have to do things differently to make people notice you. In that he refers to the way he dresses and wears his clothes (which is always on point and up to the occasion).

4. Nobody else can measure you except for your own self.

5. Work hard for it and own it. An example is that he uses his real name (some performers choose to have a stage name) and with that, there's a lot of responsibility hanging on what you do as you have to make sure you do right by your name (and in his case, by his father's name as well).

What can I say about all three speakers?

All three speakers, despite coming from different backgrounds, share a lot of similarities. For one, they are very, very passionate in what they do. They know where their passion lies and they focus in the area. So much that work, does not feel like work. They are not afraid to give their all in what they do. They are not afraid to fail. And most importantly, they work hard to ensure that they will be successful. Here, having the confidence in yourself and what you do is very important because a lot of people shy back from being successful simply because they do not have confidence in themselves. As Pak Nil says it best, most Malaysians would not want to sit in the front seat, instead, they prefer to sit at the back.
Another thing is that they know what are their strengths and weaknesses. Instead of lamenting on their weaknesses, they focus on their strength and make it stronger. So strong in fact, that it overcomes whatever weaknesses that they have.
They strive to improve and move forward. Identify what is the trend and focus towards being updated with the upcoming trends. If you make mistakes, do damage control, pick yourself up and move forward.
Lastly, never ever give up.

I've definitely had an inspiring day and I hope I was able to generate inspiration in you too =). To learn more on Generasi Bersatu and the good work that they do, do visit their website [here].

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Empowering Tools for Stress Management

2016-04-12T02:48:00.001-07:00

Earlier today I attended a sisters only session by one of my favourite speakers, Ustadha Rayhaanah Omar on Empowering Tools for Stress Management. It was an hour-long session but despite the short time, she had shared a lot of very good points, I felt compelled to share it here with everyone. And here are some of the points which I had managed to write down. Hope it will be as beneficial to everyone of you, as much as it was to me. Happy reading!

Sister Rayhaanah started the session with a guided imagery and visualisation exercise. Although I won't go into the details of the exercise here (I mean seriously, how will you be able to read my writing if I asked you to close your eyes, right?) but she did share on how powerful are the Quranic verses and how clear they are in terms of their description of the plants, animals, our organs, the people of the past and what is to happen in the future. Some verses are so full of details that you can actually imagine with clarity what the Quran is conveying to you. Among the surah in the Quran which we can refer to is Surah Ar-Rahman.

She also shared a dua'a:

للّهُـمَّ أَنْـتَ السَّلامُ ، وَمِـنْكَ السَّلام ، تَبارَكْتَ يا ذا الجَـلالِ وَالإِكْـرام

"O Allah, You are As-Salam and from You is all peace, blessed are You, O Possessor of majesty and honour."

(As-Salam means The One Who is free from all defects and deficiencies.)

Remind yourself, "Allah is enough." And ask yourself, "Am I achieving the pleasure of Allah?" In life, we have choices to make. We have to take risks and we fear losing. There are similarities between risk and rizq. Rizq comes in many different forms, and not merely in financial gains.

Ask from The One whose treasures never end. Abu Hurairah r.a. narrated that the Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. said that: "A strong believer is better and is more lovable to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone, (but) cherish that which gives you benefit (in the Hereafter) and seek help from Allah and do not lose heart, and if anything (in the form of trouble) comes to you, don't say: "If I had not done that, it would not have happened so and so, but say: "Allah did that what He had ordained to do and your "if" opens the (gate) for Satan."

Sister Rayhaanah also shared 5 dua'a life hacks that we can use in our daily lives:

1. Begin every task with the name of Allah by saying,

﷽‎

"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful."

2. Sometimes you need to choose between 2 things, say,

"O Allah, destine good for me and choose for me."

3. When overwhelmed, make this dua'a,

رَبِّ اِنِّىْ مَغْلُوْبٌ فَانْتَصِرْ

"O' Allah, I am overwhelmed, so help me."

4. Ask for goodness and when something good happens, don't stop from making dua'a. Keep on asking,

رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ

"My Rabb, surely I am in need of any good that you have given to me."

5. If you want to get rid of a problem in your life, pray two rakaahs and during sujood, supplicate with the dua'a which was recited by Prophet Jonah (or Yunus) and then make the dua'a for Allah to give you a way out to your problem.

لَّا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ

How do we deal with stress? Two ways: (1) by making dua'a, and (2) by praying and asking Allah of what you need. Keep on asking and don't stop. Recite this dua'a:

اللَّهُمَّ رَحْمَتَكَ أَرْجُو فَلَا تَكِلْنِي إِلَى نَفْسِي طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ وَأَصْلِحْ لِي شَأْنِي كُلَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَا أَنْتَ

"O' Allah, it is Your mercy that I hope for, so do not leave me in charge of my affairs even for a blink of an eye, and rectify for me all of my affairs. None has the right to be worshipped except You."

When we're stressed, if we are not careful, we can lose our faith. Therefore, we should always reflect back on the concept of tawhid in Islam and affirm our belief in Allah. These dua's are affirmations of the oneness of Allah. When faced with difficulty, know that Allah is with you.

How can dua'a change from a mindset of stress to calmness?

First, know that it's okay to feel emotions. Emotions are from Allah. However, whether you choose to be enslaved to those emotions, then that is your choice to either be empowered or disempowered by the emotions.

Secondly, when going through stress, your imaan is the one that suffers. That's why when stressed, people would say, "My imaan is at a low." The heart is such that it flips. Check back with ourselves, are we neglecting our faith? Are we distancing ourself from the Almighty?

So what should we do?

Examine our relationship with Allah. In Surah Taha, it is mentioned that, "And whoever turns away from My remembrance - indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind." (20: 124). When we are stressed and overwhelmed, and we are not feeling joy in what we do, reflect in our relationship with Allah. Ask ourself, "What is the state of my solat/ Quran/ fasting/ charity etc?"

As the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. states, "Amazing is the affair of the believer, verily all of his affair is good and this is not for no one except the believer. If something of good/ happiness befalls him, he is grateful and that is good for him. If something of harm befalls him, he is patient and that is good for him."

Allah purifies you when you feel stressed, pain, overwhelmed or when any sorrow befalls you, as mentioned in this hadith, "No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that."

To conclude, know that we are bound to be tested. We are made to be stretched out of our comfort zone. As difficult as it is, we all do at some point in our life. And realise that everyone is experiencing a test differently than we do. Even Maryam, the mother of Isa, lamented on the test that she was facing as mentioned in the Quran in Surah Maryam, "... She said, "Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten." (19: 23)

In times of difficulty, things may not be as they seem, such as the tests which were faced by Prophet Ibrahim and the fire, Prophet Yunus and the whale, Prophet Musa's mother after his birth, Aisyah and the slander and Prophet Yusuf thrown into a well, left to die. Strive for that will benefit you, and seek the help of Allah. Remember that when you breath in, your breath is from Allah and when you breath out, your breath returns to Allah, as is your life in this dunya.

On this note, I'd like to share two reminders which I've set as the home screen and lock screen on my phone:

I'll put them up in my Facebook page so that you can download and use them if you like.

So those were the points that I've gained from the talk and if I've made any mistakes, do let me know by commenting below this post and I'll make changes where necessary. Thank you to the organisers for making the talk possible and thank you to Sister Rayhaanah for sharing all the gems with us today. All praise be to Allah for making everything possible.

And for those who would like to know more on Ustadha Rayhaanah's work, do visit her website [here].

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Fashionista's Book Review: Purification of the Heart by Hamza Yusuf

2016-04-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

I was given the book last year by the SRC (Student's Representative Council) at Inceif for participating as a speaker in the SRC's annual student conference. As I was reading another book at the time (Yasmin Mogahed's Reclaim Your Heart), I kept this book on the shelf and finally had the time to read it late last year.

This book is actually based on a poem which was written by Imam Al-Mawlud entitled Matharat al-Qulub (which I assume means Purification of the Heart, but do correct me if I'm wrong). The book expounds upon the poem by providing explanations, examples, verses from the Quran and Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. and it tries to shed light into what the verses of the poem meant. The topics are all about the heart; it covers all about the diseases of the heart (not physical diseases but emotional ones) and how we can cure ourself of those diseases.

When I first read the book, I was only able to read a page or two at a time simply because the subject matter is very heavy and I needed time to recover from reading (and absorb what is being said). Thus, one can say that this book is definitely not for light reading. I initially wasn't too keen on reading the book (after the first few pages) simply because I felt it caused a burden on my heart and made me feel kinda forlorn and I wasn't sure whether it's the right book for me. Now for those who know me, they would know that I'm quite a cheerful person with a positive outlook on life and heavy stuff just kinda anchors me and makes me mellow (or kinda out of sorts).

Anyway, I am not the kind to shy away from finishing a book and I don't like not being able to finish a book (unless of course it's a textbook, that's something entirely different and is on a different plane of its own). So I decided that I could only cover subtopic per reading session and I proceeded to do just that. A subtopic could range from a page and a half or even around 10 pages. After a while, having gotten used to the style of writing and how the author looks at the subject matter, I was no longer affected by how serious the book is and I actually kinda liked reading the book (i.e. it no longer felt heavy). In fact, I actually looked forward to my nightly sessions. I used to read the book right before I go to sleep just so that I can contemplate and understand what's being said without dealing with my daily distractions.

So, what can I say about the book? Firstly, it's an absolutely fascinating book. I never knew that there were so many diseases of the heart (I was slightly afraid of getting a heart attack from reading about all those diseases) and how I can actually relate to those diseases in my daily life. In fact, I have most of those diseases in me. What I've discovered is that, some things, we might take them lightly, but when it's put in perspective, it's not something that we should take lightly at all. Instead we should constantly be aware of them (bad habits, bad thoughts etc) trying to attach themselves to our heart.

Secondly, the book has definitely given me a different perspective about myself (and having read so many self help books, motivational books and books that try to give you insight about yourself, I am not easily surprised by what current/ present gurus are trying to say). But this book has helped me to see things in different ways and have even helped to see how I can recalibrate the direction that I want to take in the future if I want to be closer to my Creator. Indeed, Jannah is my goal (as it is with most people) and discovering the many diseases that I have in me (planted and nurtured *sigh*), I know that I need to change and I need to have a game plan if I want to stick to this direction.

Thirdly, I wouldn't mind reading this book again and again (just to make sure I remember what are the diseases of the heart) and recognise their symptoms. Inshaa Allah.

So, would I recommend the book? Most definitely! As I said, it's a heavy book, not that easy to read but it's definitely worth a read. Thank you to members of the SRC for gifting me with such a wonderful gift. May Allah reward you all immensely, ameen.

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Mystery of the Stolen Floor Mat Revealed

2016-04-04T01:02:00.001-07:00

I have been living in KL for almost two years now and since then (including today), my floor mat has been stolen 3 or 4 times. It baffles me.

I mean seriously?

A floor mat?

Let me tell you why it baffles me:

First, it's a floor mat. It's what you use to wipe the dirt from underneath your shoes. It's what you use to filter the dirt which you've picked up from walking (from various places) and ensuring that your apartment/ house is not filled with the dirt that you've accidentally picked up from outside the home. Thus it's not exactly in pristine condition.

Secondly, it's only RM3.90. Not the most expensive floor mat either. It's not pretty either. It's the cheapest one available in Ikea. Yup, the black one. Hence, I know that this door mat is no eye candy.

Okay, let me tell you what happened:

My mum was on the phone (we were at home) and I heard a scratching sound near the door. And having had my floor mat stolen a couple of times, I realised that someone is pulling my floor mat from under my apartment door. A couple of inches of the floor mat is peeking from under the door, therefore if somebody were to pass by my apartment, they could definitely be able to identify that yes, I have a floor mat.

Now, this is where it gets to be interesting:

My apartment is at the end of the corridor. The apartment in front of mine is empty (my neighbour had moved out earlier last year) while the apartment next to mine is usually empty during the day (this neighbour is a very sweet young lady from Iran). For someone to purposely steal my floor mat, she (I actually confronted the thief today) would have to walk all the way to the end of the corridor (roughly about 30 metres or so) and come to my apartment (and when I think of it this way, it kinda creeps me out that someone is routinely checking out my floor mat and trying to steal them). And although a few inches of the floor mat is on the outer side of the door, you would need some effort to pull the whole thing out.

So when I realised that my floor mat was missing, I peeked out through the peephole of my door. The corridor was empty. I quickly unlatched my door, opened it and peeked out at the corridor. There was a small middle aged lady (dressed in a smart casual manner) about 5 - 10 metres away from my door, walking quickly towards the lift door. She had just put something (which appeared to be my floor mat) into her shoulder bag. And no, she is not my neighbour.

I called out to her and I said, "Excuse me, did you just take my floor mat?"

She didn't answer. She continued to walk quickly to the lift doors. When she had her fingers on the door, she looked at me.

I said again, "Excuse me, did you just take my floor mat?"

She looked at me, now both hands at the door and said, "No I didn't. I had come from the other side (i.e. the podium) and I was walking this way."

What amused me is that the direction in which she said she was walking is totally opposite from the direction that she took.

So I said, "Really? You did not take my floor mat?"

By this time, as much as the situation seemed pretty eerie to me (I mean this lady is kinda stalking my apartment and stealing my floor mat), I was also amused. Amused by the thought that here you are (the lady I mean) getting busted for stealing a RM3.90 floor mat.

She replied, "No." She then opened the lift doors and walked away.

I could have confronted her and insisted that I check her bag. And I know my floor mat would be in that bag. But I didn't. I mean, it's a RM3.90 floor mat. I could replace it any time I want. There's no use in embarrassing her over a floor mat. Although I did want to tell her that the floor mat is dirty and it's not exactly new. But I think she already knows this.

But the fact of the matter is, I don't think she's a real thief. Maybe what she has is an illness. Maybe she just has a thing over floor mats. But then again, I don't know.

This incident has also taught me a lesson. When my previous floor mats were stolen, I had actually thought that it would be by the cleaners or security guard. No, not because of what you are currently thinking. Simply because of the fact that they are the only ones who would walk to end of the corridor. I mean, would you walk all the way to end of a corridor if you don't have to? You won't right? And I wouldn't either. But this lady was pleasantly dressed, her clothes didn't scream that she was in poverty, and she had nice shoes and a nice handbag to boot (no, not a Louis Vuitton but it wasn't shabby either). From the way she looks and how she speaks, I was able to identify that she's a Malaysian, most probably from a particular race (which I will not mention here because this is not a racial post). And she speaks English as well (which shows she's educated enough to be able to converse in a language that is not her mother tongue). Another thing which surprised me is that she looked as if she's in her mid-forties or maybe early fifties. This incident has taught me that, people may not be what they seem but in spite of what they do, forgive them anyway. Why? Because, if you want Allah to forgive you for your sins, you might as well forgive others for what they have done to you. And if I have done anything that may have hurt you, please forgive me.

May Allah forgive us all. Ameen.

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Which deed is the dearest to Allah?

2016-04-02T03:47:00.000-07:00

My Al Maghrib exam is tomorrow and as I am reading the notes provided by Al Maghrib Institute and Qabeelat Ihsaan (Al-Maghrib's Malaysian chapter), I have stumbled upon some very interesting gems. Among them is this hadith as narrated by 'Abdullah:

"I asked the Prophet p.b.u.h., "Which deed is the dearest to Allah?" He replied, "To offer prayers at their early stated fixed times." I asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He replied, "To be good and dutiful to your parents." I asked again, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He replied, "To participate in jihad (struggle) in Allah's cause." 'Abdullah added, "I asked only that much and if I had asked more, the Prophet p.b.u.h. would have told me more." [Bukhari]

What is interesting about this hadith is that:

Praying at the beginning of prayer is more beloved to Allah than being good and dutiful to your parents and jihad. What this tells us is that, discipline and strong will (i.e. making sure that you pray early and the will to leave whatever that you are doing to answer the call of prayers) is a commendable trait in Islam. This hadith also teaches us what our priorities should be; we should always put what Allah has commanded us to do first in our life. Secondly, after we have fulfilled what is required of us, we are to be good to our family i.e. fulfil our obligations to our family. And then, only we participate in jihad.

What is even more interesting is that Allah has made it very easy for us to seek His pleasure. Praying at the beginning of prayer times is not a very difficult thing to do and it is actually quite easy for us to be consistent at. And each prayer take only around 10 minutes of our time, we can go back to our work (what we were doing before the call to prayers) or our familial duties even before they notice we went missing =).

A photo of Alexa imitating me and hubs praying. Although we have not taught her (or even emphasised) much about prayers or dua'a (she currently knows how to recite the basmalah, al Fatihah and the dua'a before eating), our aim is to make her familiar with the five prayers by making it a norm to pray in front of her and invite her to join us. She joins us only when she wants to and she has her own praying top (which is actually an adult scarf which I bought in Banda Aceh last year). Her prayers usually last about 15 seconds; consisting of one or two rakaah per prayer with two rukuks and two sajdah per rakaah, and she whispers nonsensical words to herself. And yes, she also jumps on me and does piggybacks on me when I am in rukuk or sajdah =).

Let's try to be better shall we? Smart Muslims are better Muslims. Let's seek the activities that Allah will reward us with the most, inshaa Allah.

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

10 Keys to Happiness and Success

2016-03-31T09:13:00.002-07:00

I am currently in the midst of studying for an exam. More specifically, an Al-Maghrib exam for the course entitled Love Notes: Marriage and Family Life by Shaykh Yahya Ibrahim which I had attended at Taylor's University Lakeside Campus earlier this month. While reading my notes, I stumbled upon something that the Shaykh has shared with us, which I think would be nice to share with y'all. It's the 10 keys to happiness and success and here it goes:

1. There's a balance between happiness and success. Success is external i.e. it can be seen and measured while happiness is internal. It cannot be seen, thus it is difficult to measure.

2. Trust your fate and qadr. There are things that are beyond our control. The issue that relates to qadr is how do we react to these things.

3. We have to be a part of our qadr and there may be more than one qadr. The dua'a of a mother increases our life and improves our purity and health. Work for our qadr. Know that our qadr is with Allah but have tawakkul.

4. Learn from our parents' mistakes. One of the best way to learn success is from the hurdles and failures of our parents and those who are close to us.

5. When it is time to change, if everyday you have been hitting the same wall, it's not the wall, but you are too stubborn to change your same ways. There's something that needs to be changed.

6. Remember that the best things in life are always the simplest, especially in connecting with other people. The sunnah of the Prophet p.b.u.h. is the simplest way to life. Always choose the way of the easiest and least cost.

7. Demand the best. Don't settle for anything in life. Always go for the best that you can have. But be willing to work for it. Be willing to give the best in return. Become and seek to be the best and don't settle. Pull them up. You demand for it not by asking but by giving.

8. Overcome your mistakes of the past. Forget the errors you have made. What the Shaykh means here is don't get so hang up upon what you have did in the past but look forward and strive to your future. Repentance is you bury your past and you overturn them with your virtues. Don't let your past and difficulty break you.

9. Don't try to control the future. Yes, you may work for the future but what will happen is within the qadr of Allah. You should secure the future by your hard work today.

10. Invest yourself fully in the present to attain the future.

Relationship goals: do things together.

A husband taking a photo of his wife underwater while snorkelling. A photo that I took of a couple at Redang Island, last week.

I hope you have benefitted from these tips as much as I had.

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Fashionista's Escapades: Spelunking at Merapoh, Pahang

2016-02-15T08:24:00.002-08:00

Inspired by Batman (if you're interested to watch the clip, click [here]) and obviously my recent trip to Mulu Caves, last weekend I decided to explore some caves in Merapoh, Pahang. This trip was co-organised by Project Vacation and Pakatan Bejalan.

The trip was supposed to be for Saturday and Sunday but we started our journey on Friday night, leaving KL at 10.30 pm and arriving in Merapoh at 2.30 am.

This is my first adventure caving experience and here's a photoblog of my trip:

The drive to Merapoh from KL (our meeting point was LRT Gombak) took almost 4 hours. This was taken on the way back to KL, very scenic view from the highway.

Gua Rimau (Tiger's Cave)

We explored three caves over the weekend, two on Saturday (Gua Rimau and Gua Kubang Rusa) and one on Sunday (Gua Padang Kawad). We started with Gua Rimau on Saturday morning and left our homestay, SGI Outdoor Merapoh at 8.30 am and headed to the entrance of the cave which was only a 10-minute drive away.

Since the roads leading to the cave are unpaved, we were transported in pickup trucks and four wheel drives.

Unpaved road leading to Gua Rimau.

A short description of the cave and safety briefing is conducted every time before we enter the caves. For safety reasons, we were all provided with safety helmets and each helmet was equipped with headlights. However, you can bring your own torchlights should you need more light in the caves.

Waiting in line. There were 30 over people who participated in this event. Coveralls are not provided but are recommended for the trip simply because they are made of thick fabric and does not rip easily. Besides, they are a one piece (therefore they do not snag easily at any branches/ leaves when you need to climb up and down).

Climbing up.

Entering Gua Rimau.

Cave formations.

A description of the cave features, flora and fauna by our guides.

Cave window.

The interior of Gua Rimau.

Venturing deeper into the interior parts of Gua Rimau. Some parts require a bit of climbing and clever manoeuvring.

The twin towers of Gua Rimau.

A view of the entrance of the cave from inside.

Gua Kubang Rusa

After lunch, we headed to Gua Kubang Rusa (which is also known as Gua Air Mata Dayang).

For Gua Kubang Rusa, the activities here involved not only cave exploration, but also cave tubing. Thus, we are required to wear safety helmets and life jackets before entering the cave.

The entrance to Gua Kubang Rusa.

Getting ready for cave tubing.

And off we go!

Since this trip involved quite a big crowd, we were divided into two groups, the first group would do cave tubing first while the other group explored the interior of the cave.

Cave exploration.

Cave tubing. According to the dictionary, cave tubing is an extreme sport in which participants float on inner tubes and traverse underground rivers in networks of caves and go over small falls.

Gua Kubang Rusa's interior.

The interior of Gua Kubang Rusa.

Post cave tubing and exploration. Tired but definitely satisfied =).

Gua Padang Kawad

On Sunday morning we left for Gua Padang Kawad which is located about 30 minutes drive away from our homestay. Gua Padang Kawad was the secret route that the communist used before independence and during the early formative years of Malaysia. To read more on the history of this cave, you can click on the link [here].

Getting to Gua Padang Kawad requires at least 45 minutes of trekking.

Arrived at the entrance of Gua Padang Kawad. The reason why you can't see the entrance is because it's just a tiny opening in front of a small stream. Getting into Gua Padang Kawad involves a bit of crawling.

Safety briefing before entering the cave.

Climbing up against the flow of water in Gua Padang Kawad. Photo courtesy of Adli.

The exit point of Gua Padang Kawad. I myself wasn't able to take photos inside the cave because it's dark and quite wet. However, I must say that the cave formations and colours of the walls were absolutely breathtaking.

Us. Spelunkers. Or at least we were for the weekend. Photo courtesy of Artchan.

Adventure caving is definitely different from what I initially expected. The caves are left in their natural state and the caves are in itself a home of various flora and fauna which made the experience very interesting (and some parts quite icky).

Would I recommend adventure caving? Well, let me just say that adventure caving is not for everyone, and definitely not for the faint hearted. Going into dark, damp and sometimes tiny spaces may be scary and claustrophobic but then again, we are here for the experience and it is definitely an experience which you will not get anywhere else. I find Gua Padang Kawad to be the most interesting of all simply because you are traversing into the interior of the cave on a narrow path along an underground river (or stream) and the cave interior is filled with all sorts of different formations and colours that is just beautiful. Masha Allah.

To those who are interested to participate in these kind of events, you can visit Project Vacation's instagram [here] and Pakatan Bejalan [here].

Looking forward to another adventure soon, inshaa Allah =).

xoxo Mrs Fashionista