2015 >> 2016

Hi everyone! Its been awhile since my last post. And its already near to the new year!

I know, I feel like it was only yesterday I was posting about 2015. crazy how time flies. One moment I'm writing about my new year's resolutions and next Its 2016.

So what can I say about this year so far? Let's do a recap of what happened (cause you know....I have bad sense of time and memory and I keep forgetting)

J A N U A R Y

-In January, I finished my 3rd year semester 1 and was on my way to go onto semester 2.

-Probably was one of my "dark" posts about how depressed I was in architecture. I'm glad that has changed though.

-My lecturer's were giving me a hard time and I nearly failed.

F E B R U A R Y

-My birthday! and also I went on a 2 week vacay with my classmate, Amal to South Korea! you can read Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3. I even went snow boarding!!

-Started my new semester designing a boutique hotel

M A R C H

-Mostly architecture related. Went for a lot of site visits. Stuff was getting difficult as days go past.

A P R I L

-Hiked up Broga Hill

-went to Sekeping Serendah by Seksan

M A Y

-Went for a theatre! watched baik punya cilok & I enjoyed every part of it. Even got to meet the actors

-CONTENG STUDIO WAS BORN!!!

J U N E

-Found out I had most likely failed (I did actually) and had to repeat one semester with 11 other people.

-Finally the end of semester 2 and was filled with heart ache and agony and hardship.

J U L Y

-Was feeling rather down in the dumps but had to complete my thesis.

-My 2nd year anniversary!! wooohhh!! here's to many more :*

A U G U S T

-On holiday and travelled a lot this month.

-check the august link or the Travel diary to check out my travels :D

S E P T E M B E R

-Travelled to Cambodia!

-Started my new semester.

O C T O B E R

-My last post and then I started getting busy with architecture work.

I dont have a specific post for November & December....but I hope this will suffice. 

So for this month, I figured I'd just update you on what has happened and what I'm hoping will happen in 2016.

Firstly, last week and the week before Conteng Studio managed to get into an event and we managed to sell literally all of our hand drawn tote bags at Comic Fiesta 2015. I'll probably update that in a new post, if I have the time that is. 

Apart from that, my granparents have opened up a new restaurant and I'm currently helping them at the same time completing my final project for an upcoming resubmission next January. 

That's basically it as of now. I do hope in the future there will be better time management, less procrastination and more adventures! 

Its a new year, a new beginning, a new planner for greater and bigger things. May God bless you, protect you and help you in your everyday life, regardless who you believe in. I hope you will always be happy and that happiness follows you where ever you go. 

Lots of Love,

Sarah

In the middle of something

Yes, I do realise what the date is today. Yes, I do realise I owe you a blogpost about the new semester. and Yes, this will be that blogpost.

It is official, last september we started our semester. The "advance" year, as how my lecturer likes to put it. So what can I say about this semester so far? well, first of all, during the welcoming intro, a few lecturers gave us a pep talk which was inspiring and some condemned us to the pits of hell, yes tokwan, I'm talking about you. In his eyes, we're probably a failure in the name of architecture. But oh well, what can you expect?

Currently, we have now started on our design project which is designing a public housing for the residents in bangi. I suppose things are going ok so far. I did miss a class due to unforeseen circumstances and I am basically a class behind. Gonna need to catch up quickly if I want to be on par with everyone else. Everything else has been quiet, I suppose. We're still working on our T-shirt project. and I've finally finished 1989 by George Orwell. took me a little longer than expected as I was busy with getting things ready. I'm currently book-less but I'm waiting for my boyfriend to lend me his Game of Thrones book so I wouldn't be so lost when he starts talking about GOT haha.

Well, I suppose thats all for today's post. Just thought I should update you on why I've been so quiet recently. Oh and btw, I went to the Bon Jovi concert ;D hahahahaha

alright, Good night!

Sarah

Sarah's Travel Diary : Siem Reap, Cambodia

As you may or may not know, I have been travelling quite recently and just got back from Cambodia! (If you didn't know that, you should follow me on instagram ;P ) I was there for 3 days from the 29th of August until 31st of August on a holiday trip with my mum and younger sister. This was my 1st time to Cambodia and venturing up north of South East Asia. 

Cambodia is rich in its history and architecture from the famous Angkor Wat to the Tonle Sap, the largest lake in the world that supplies water and food to the people of Cambodia. It is truly a place of it's own and I would definitely go again :)

29th August 2015 : Kuala Lumpur > Siem Reap

I took the 6.50 am flight from KL to Siem Reap at KLIA2. I was so excited, anxious and worried about missing my flight the night before, I couldn't get enough sleep. On the airplane I was so sleepy I didn't even wake up when the plane had landed. Thank god I was travelling with my younger sister, so she kept an eye out for me. 

After the 2 hour flight journey, we arrived the international airport. We got our documents done and headed out to meet with our guide Yusoff. He speaks various languages such as Malay, Englosh, Thai and of course his native tongue, Khmer. 

After meeting with him, we picked mum up from the domestic flight area and headed off to our first visit, the Tonle Sap lake. 

The lake is so large that it looks like the ocean and it connects 5 other states around it. There are people living in lake known as the floating village. These people love in boat houses and make a living off the lake through fishing, tourism and supplying crocodile skin to be made into various handbags, purses, shoes and so on. (YES! They rear crocodiles in cages NEXT to their boat houses 😱) 

The life the people there live made me feel so humble and at the same time made me grateful for what I have now. Honestly, I wasn't expecting the floating village to be as how it was. I felt really sad seeing how they lived and how the outcome of the Khmer Rouge in 1975-1979 still shows to this day eventhough they are slowly recovering from the civil war and working to create a better future for their people. 

On our way back from visiting Tonle Sap, we stopped by their floating market to buy rice to be donated to the poor there. About more than 60 children were at the donation centre having their lunch of rice, bean sprouts and small cubes of sardines, which they shared amongst each other. It was just so hard breaking to see and made me rethink all the times I unintentionally wasted food. I didn't have the heart to take many photos there. 

So after we went to Tonle sap lake, we stopped by a lotus flower plantation near the lake. Yusoff had treated us to try some lotus seeds straight out of it's flower (I think it's part of the flower). It was my first time trying it and I was an interesting experience. Sophia enjoyed eating it and finished up all the remaining seeds. 

We headed back and went checked into our hotel at The Cycle d'Angkor Boutique Hotel. 

The hotel is a nice cozy boutique hotel and is located about 5-10 mins away from the town area. It was a really relaxing and nice place to stay in. We were welcomed with cold towels which was a delight to have after being outdoors along with some cold soothing delicious welcome drinks. 

The hotel room costs about RM103 per night (it was on promotion) and another RM103 for an extra bed. So total was RM206 for a night. The room was cozy enough for 3 people and the bathroom is small to enough to fit in the basics. The room smelled like lemon grass and was so soothing that you just wanted to sleep in all day every day. 

Yusoff came to pick us up at 1.30pm and we went for lunch together with the driver at Terrasse d'elephants where we had authentic halal Khmer food. 

Th price range for the food here costs about $8-$10 USD (they trade mostly in USD...it was kindda painful for us to exchange RM to USD) . We had Khmer beef curry, chicken soup, mixed vegetables and fish amok cooked in coconut. Total price for our lunch was $59 for 5 people. 

After lunch, we visited the memorial to the victims of the Khmer Rouge and saw some of the skulls of victims that were brutally murdered. Just a note, when you are there be careful of the children around. There was one young boy who was following us wherever we went (which we didn't mind) but then suddenly tried to grab my sister's hand. So just be mindful of your surroundings. 

After that, we went on to the museum and went through the ancient relics of the ancient city of Angkor. People who want to visit the Angkor Wat should visit the museum before so that you can understand more about Angkor wat. Plus, there's no harm in learning something about a country you are visiting. (#yesilikemuseums) haha 

After the museum, we went to the market place and tried out the fish spa which was extremely ticklish but made my feet super smooth afterwards and watched a cultural show before dinner. 

30th August 2015 : Angkor Wat, Thom Prahm, Angkor Thom

Visiting Angkor Wat should best be done during the sunrise in order to experience the beauty of the ancient city. Apart from that, to also enjoy the quiet peace surrounding the temple. But Alas, being me...I slept in and only woke up at 6.30 am and missed the sunrise. Hahaha 

Before entering Angkor Wat, we had to purchase tickets before arriving the temple. The tickets were inclusive with the package Yusoff offered us so we just had to take our photo for the ticket. 

Angkor Wat was beautiful and grand. It was built during Suryavarman II's reign and was built in the 12th century. All around the temple, there are various carvings that depict stories about hindhu beliefs and many Asparas decorated along the walls.

After visiting Angkor Wat, we walked on through the forest and met up with our driver to our next destination which is Ta Prohm Temple. 

Ta Prohm temple is famous for it's maze like plans, the huge trees growing in between the temples, the diamond and jewels the size of my fist that were mysteriously stolen and also the fact that Angelina Jolie did a scene for the Tomb Raider movie there ! 

According to Yusoff, Ta Prohm temple was built during Jayavarma VII's reign for his mother. The temple was built by using combination of laterite stones and sand stones and is not as detailed as the Angkor Wat. The temple is smaller than the Angkor Wat and built almost like a maze. During Jayavarma VII's reign, the temple was built for Buddhists, however when Jayavarma VIII ruled, all the statues of buddha were removed.

After going to Thom Prahm temple, we continued on to visit Bayan Temple in Angkor Thom. 

After visiting the temples, we had lunch at an indonesian-khmer restaurant and later headed back to the hotel where we rested until 5pm. After that, we went to visit the silk factory, however, because we were late, we did not get to see the silk factory. We then spent some time at the Artisan Angkor and went back to the hotel to enjoy a 2 hour spa session followed by Khmer dinner in Terrasse d'Elephants. 

31st August 2015 : Siem Reap > Kuala Lumpur

We left for the airport at 7 am the next day and arrived KL about 11.30 am. My trip was a short one but I had an amazing time and it would be one of those places that I would love to visit again and for a longer time. 

Also! I'd like to wish all my Malaysian readers a Happy Independence Day eventhough I'm a few days late. May we always stay united through it all.

I guess thats all for now, I'll be busy running errands this coming week and preparing for the start of my semester next week. Wish me luck!

Xx,

Sarah

Easy-Peasy DIY : Air Plants !

Living in the city, I love trying to bring greenery into my home. Partly because I feel that although Malaysia has tropical lush forests, the city would definitely do better with more trees and greenery. However...I don't think I have a green thumb and the time to plant. Juggling between my architecture work and other activities, gardening isn't really an easy task for me. 

I finally found (hopefully) the perfect plant for busy people who want to create their own mini garden indoors!

AIR PLANTS!

These plants are so unique and interesting that they do not require any soil or daily watering to survive. No fertilizers are required either and they can pretty much live in any environment. 

So I got my air plants during my race at the Kuala Lumpur Orchid and Bonsai Show last Sunday at Far East Agriculture. They sell a wide variety of air plants and some are even in bloom. The lady and her mother were very helpful in teaching me the ways to care for air plants and even gave me a free string (HAHAHA) 

I bought 5 and got 1 for free. I didnt know how exactly I was gonna design their final homes yet so I got a few different species so that I can get a variety of designs. Here, I will show you how I made them. Not only are they easy to make, but the options are endless!

So first of all, these are the stuff that I used in creating 6 new homes : 

6 decorative pots/dishes/pretty much anything you wanted to try (I used bowls from Daiso)

decorative stones

decorative sand

miniature sculpture (optional. I couldnt find any yet. this will just make things more interesting)

wood

bowl for watering

spatula & tweezers to place the decorative sand and stone

Step 1 : Watering

First of all, I dunked the air plants in a bowl of water for about 20-30 minutes. This should be done weekly for the air plants or if you're too busy for that, you can mist them lightly daily.

Step 2 : Setting up

So while the air plants are dunking away in their tub, I set up the items and thought about how I wanted to design the final home for my talandsias. I didnt have a variety of decorative stones as I was on a budget so I got this purple coloured decorative stones from ikea and a packet of decorative sand from Daiso. 

Step 3 : Filling up 

Once the talandsias are out of their tub, I set them up on some paper towels to dry. After that, I arranged the plants in their new homes. The lady told me to make sure the leaves are exposed to the air around it. If not, it'll get too hot and the plant will die. 

And that's it! You can really just put it in anything and anywhere! They give you a variety of options to explore and design at your own free will! Haha but if you're like me and you'd like some inspiration, Pinterest is an awesome place to find  terrarium ideas. Hope you enjoyed this easy-peasy diy. I definitely enjoyed my time creating these mini homes hahaha :P 

Xx,

Sarah 

Cafe Hunting : DC Comics Cafe, Sunway Putra Mall

Hello! Today I will share about my experience at DC comics cafe in Sunway Putra Mall, formerly known as The Mall. I used to go there a few times when I went to my mum's office.

I found out about DC comics cafe through a 9gag post that was shared on FB. I decided to go there with my sister before I had to do my errands. 

Sophia and I arrived at 11.30 am at the mall. It is a small cafe with limited number of tables located next to the DC comics shop. Probably due to the crazy amount of shares on FB, the cafe was full of people and people were lining up outside. It took about 20-30 minutes for us to get a table, thanks to one helpful staff who managed to contain the chaos and had stopped me from turning into the hulk (I know the hulk is from marvel. But u get what I mean). the cashier...wasn't too bright and almost forgot to take my order. Also completely ignoring the fact that I already got a table. Luckily the lady behind me had the decency to ask whether I had ordered or not. 

So I had the "batman vs aquaman Alaskan fish burger " with HA-HA berry milkshake (strawberry+blueberry milkshake) and my sister had the batman pepperoni pizza with Superman peanut butter milkshake.

The wait was definitely worth it! My Alaskan fish burger was delicious and my milkshake was good too. I'm glad we got to eat there and I hope that DC Comics Cafe will expand so more people can come in and enjoy the food. Also...probably work on their seating system...cause there were a few people who tried to cut lines and also "chup tempat" while everyone else was qeueing up. Overall, it's a nice place and would recommend but those who wanna go...please be considerate and line up accordingly. Also! Big thank you to the guy who got our table ready and was very helpful to us. Big props to you! :D

Xx, 

Sarah

Run! Run! Run! Part 2

A few days ago, I blogged about joining a 7km fun run. So last Sunday, I joined the 7km fun run in conjunction with the Kuala Lumpur Orchid and Bonsai Show. Im proud to say I completed it in an hour (I Knooooowww you running snobs can run faster, yeah yeah, I'm working on it)

So I was a tad bit late and missed the warm up session. Mum sent me and I entered from the entrance near the Bukit Aman Police HQ. I thought it was nearby when I walked in. Oh...how wrong was I...ahahahah

So I was greeted with rows of Bonsai plants. These were the ones for the show competition. I walked on thinking that it was close by. Kept walking and was greeted at another entrance by a lady who gave me a sticker (I lost the sticker halfway through my run -_-). In front of me was a dad and his little daughter and they were also walking to the venue. After about walking for 10 minutes, we finally reached the main area and my 7km race was already starting. I said my goodbyes to the man and his child and quickly ran to the starting point. 

After about 1 minute standing there, the race horn was sounded off signalling our start. The hordes of people in the front were rushing to get out of the hot and sweaty surrounding and those who were aiming to win ran off straight away. I knew all I wanted to achieve that day was to complete and finish faster than my previous fun run last year. 

To be frank, I didnt really train as diligently as how I did last race. I did run a few km but nothing compared to last year's race. I think if I did train like how I did back then, I'd be able to run faster and complete in a much shorter time. But I stayed at my usual pace and completed it eventually. 

I am proud to say I completed it! and another 7km in my pocket! Im looking for more races to go for now that I have 'recovered' so I can train, hopefully as diligent as last year. I will however not deny that I have been kindda a lazy bum when it comes to exercising and I continuously blame my unfinished thesis for not having time to exercise...but hopefully after I send it today for binding...I shouldnt have anymore excuses and can finally enjoy the last few weeks of my semester holiday in peace. 

Oh! and I forgot to mention, at the KLOBS there were vendors that sold orchids, bonsais and various air plants and plant related stuff. And...because I know that I dont have a green thumb...I bought 5 free 1 air plants!

Now...if these guys die too...I seriously dont know what to say about my lack of gardening skills....

Thats all for now!

Xx,

Sarah

Sarah's Travel Diary : Lombok, Indonesia

taken at sengigi beach (rumah hantu)

Hi! A few days ago I went for a very short trip to the beautiful island of Lombok, Indonesia. I was supposed to be there from the 9th till the 12th however due to family issues, I was forced to cut it short to only 2 days. So I was in Lombok from 10th till the 11th but that was enough to make me fall in love with Lombok :D 

10th August 2015 : Kuala Lumpur > Lombok

My flight was at 3.30 pm but due to delay we only pushed off from KLIA 2 at 4pm. It was a slightly bumpy journey but because I was so tired from the night before, I slept pretty much almost the whole 3 hour journey. 

We had nasi lemak on board the air plane which was okay...nothing beats homemade nasi lemak though

About 45 minutes before we landed, the sun was setting and it was absolutely beautiful being up there in the sky. I looked out of the window and saw the peak of the famous Mt Rinjani and it was just breathtaking. 

Due to the short trip, I wasn't able to climb Mt Rinjani. Definitely on my bucket list next tim I travel to Lombok. 

So we finally arrived Lombok at about 7-ish pm. The airport was a small one and it was pretty crowded. People were constantly cutting the line and was rather annoying but overall the officers there were very kind to us and helped us not get pushed by the crowd. We got out and we met Evan who was a student at Mataram University. He drove us to our, Lombok Raya hotel. The journey took about 1 hour so to anyone who plans on staying there, be sure to keep that in mind. The road to the airport was under construction so Evan had to drive carefully. Finally we arrived our hotel at about 8.30 pm. 

The rest of the night was spent with a massage (mum did...I didnt have time) which costs us 420,000 rupiah (+ 21% tax! and malaysian's complain about the 6%!). After the massage, mum and I were famished and we had dinner in the hotel since it was already 11pm and we were both too tired to go out to town that night. That night we had : pecil kangkung (water spinach, bean sprouts, ground nuts and sambal), Ayam tumis (chicken cooked in something *im not sure sorry*) and sup buntut (oxtail soup) with white rice and soda gembira (happy soda : sirap bandung with soda) and coke milk (milk + coke)

The portions were really small so mum ended up ordering bebek goreng taliwang (deep fried duck). They served the duck with salt and lime. The duck was deep fried without any spices so you have to squeeze the lime and sprinkle some salt to it. I dont like duck...so it wasn't the best meal that I had. Other than that, the other dishes were spectacular! 

11th August 2015 : Sengigi Beach, Malimbu, Gili Trawangan, Home.

Mum and I woke up at about 6.30 am the next day and went down for breakfast. Lombok has the same time zone as Malaysia however the sun rises much earlier compared to Malaysia. So when we woke up it was already bright outside. 

After breakfast (I only had chicken porridge), I waited for my guide, Putri and Pak Nadir, who brought me around Lombok. Total cost including lunch was 600,000 rupiah. 

The first place we visited briefly was Sengigi Beach. There were many beach resorts there and it is a popular tourist area because of the serene white beaches, turquoise sea and cool ocean breeze. It was absolutely stunning to see. Putri took me to "Rumah Hantu" (the haunted house by the cliff) further up from Sengigi Beach. I literally thought it was a haunted house and being the scaredy cat that I am, was almost about to tell Putri that I didnt want to go to the haunted house. HAHA! I'm glad that I did! 

The story was that the house was built without permission from the local authorities and was built on a cliff to near to the ocean. Due to safety concerns, the project was abandoned and now is a favourite look out spot to check out the view of Sengigi Beach.

The view was stunning and it was really amazing to view. We stayed there for about 10 minutes (I was in a rush to view as many scenic spots as possible as I had to catch the 7pm flight the same day!) and moved on to Malimbu. 

Like the haunted house, Malimbu was also a beautiful place to take pictures of the island and to view the area. According to Putri, Malimbu gets crowded with people after 3pm as most people go there to view the sunset. From Malimbu, you can see the 3 smaller islands that are a definite tourist spot : Gili Trawangan, Gili Air and Gili Meno.

After talking to Pak Nadir, I decided to go to Gili Trawangan. (I did the mistake of not reading up on Lombok before I left so I was quite disappointed with myself during the trip)

So at about 11 am I made it to the Jetty to take the boat to Gili Trawangan. Again, I should've read up before hand -_- I took a private speed boat to Gili Trawangan which costs 900,000 rupiah to and fro Gili Trawangan. Pak Nadir advised me to take the speed boat because it will be faster and I can decide when I want to leave. I didnt mind though it did bother me when heading back from the Gili Trawangan a random lady decided without asking me to go on the boat with me. So that bothered me abit. But overall, it was still considered affordable for me to take the speed boat and I dont regret it. I did regret not bringing enough money and had to change my Malaysian ringgit to rupiah. Also, heads up, if you have a guide with you, dont expect them to pay any part eventhough they are with you. You pay for pretty much every transport you take. hahaha, it was different from what I was used to but didnt think much about it. However I did overhear some other foreigners that were complaining about that. 

Ok so, the boat ride to Gili Trawangan took about 7-10 minutes. Waiting for the boat to arrive took the same amount of time. Overall I had to wait about 20 minutes to catch the speed boat. The owner of the speed boat company, Ali was very nice and friendly and chatted with me while I was waiting for the boat. Eventually Putri and I got on the boat and we made our move to the beautiful Gili Trawangan 

I was greeted with a lovely view of the island which its crystal clear blue sea and white sandy beaches. It was really beautiful there. The best part about Gili Trawangan is that there are no motored vehicles so the only way to commute around the city is either by walking, cycling or taking the Cidomo (small horse carriage). I mostly walked and took the Cidomo (because I don't trust myself cycling hahahah) Depending on the distance (like a taxi but with no meter....) the price can range from 50,000 to 100,000 rupiah. I went to the famous ocean swing and it cost 75,000 rupiah. 

on the way back I worried I didnt have enough for the boat ride back so I decided to walk abit. It was hot but we got to take pictures and enjoyed the view around.

But eventually it got too hot for us to walk so we called for a cidomo to get back to the main jetty area.

The ride back to the main area cost 50,000 rupiah. It was bumpy but very interesting ride. After we arrived at the main jetty area, we walked to the turtle conservation centre. There were 3 pools filled with tiny baby turtles of 3 different sizes. I was quite surprised by how open the centre was where you can literally just touch the turtle. But dont do that as you'd be fined or be in a lot of trouble. 

Most of the turtles were sleeping and were just floating around. Some were swimming vigorously at the edge of the tanks. they were really cute eventhough they were just...there. hahaha after that Putri and I continued walking on till we reached the end before we turned back and headed back to the jetty. After that we got on the speedboat and headed back to the main island (this was the part where that lady went on my boat). After that, Pak Nadir drove to Monkey Forest in search of monkeys and fish satay. The journey was long and we went through winding roads which made Putri sick a few times. The forest road was very similar to Malaysia's roads and there were a few monkeys hanging out by the road eating and just chilling around. We didnt get to try the fish satay as it was closed and we proceeded to have lunch at Taliwang. 

Here I had a traditional Sasak cuisine which was really delicious. I had ayam goreng Taliwang (deep fried chicken in spicy sambal), deep fried fish with sambal, pecil kangkung (water spinach, bean sprouts, spicy coconut shavings and sambal), cabbage and black bean soup, tempe and tofu with white rice and Es Teh (Iced Tea) to wash it all down. It was a wonderful meal with just the right amount of spiciness to it. After lunch, it was time for me to go back to the hotel and pack my things.

I met up with my mum and we did some last minute souvenir shopping and headed to the airport. 

I love Lombok, the people are so friendly and the scenery is absolutely beautiful. I wish I had spent more time there to experience more of its beauty and to climb up Mt Rinjani. Definitely recommend it for everyone to go there and experience its beauty! 

Thats all for now! 

Xx,

Sarah

p.s: Can you guess where I'll be going to next ? hint : will be visiting an ancient monumen ;D