my FAQ

other than the Solan Capo Emas (Soalan Campur Emas) "Ko bila lagi (kan kawin)?", 
I have another FAQ; about my travels.

without further ado, lesgo!


Question No.1
"Ke mana ko ari atu?" "apatah?"
"Where you go?" "how was it?"

You would think I love these kind of questions but not really.

Becoz:
1. People only asked to pass the time
2. People asked 'just becoz'
3. People genuinely curious but don't match my excitement when I started talking

When they asked me this, i usually become so hyped up and ready to tell them my 'adventure' time but then I see their faces. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
I have this intuition thing going on where I know I should calm down and minimize my story. It made me feel blergh and I wish they would not start up that conversation if they were not ready to hear my explosive with excitement story.

WHY YOU PLAYING WITH MY FEELINGS! ლ(́◉◞౪◟◉‵ლ


Question No. 2
"Ke mana saja tah ko?" "Bahapa saja ko di sana?" "shopping tah ko?"
"where did you go (there)?" "what did you do (there)?" "did you go shopping?"

Ok, first of all, are you sure you want to know the answer to these questions?
second of all, "I sight seeing a lot", "I sight seeing a lot", and "not really shopping coz I'm on a budget but yeah, i did buy a few knic knacs"

These questions are the most intimidating to me.
Even though it's my travel, my plan, my time and money, and it's my dream, I still feel a little anxious telling people what I did or didn't do.
People often replied with, "eh inda kan di sana saja?" "rugi tu eh inda ke sana" "sayang jua inda shopping". 
🙄🙄🙄
These responses used to mess with my head. Like, if I didn't go to the place where THEY wanted to go, I'm missing something. and If i didn't buy that one thing THEY would've just bought (becoz it's from overseas 🙄), I miss the opportunity.

Akusmi (excuse me), whose travel is this for? You kah? Me kah?
Different people, different wants and needs.
Just becoz my travel plans/ideas are not up your alley, doesn't mean I'm doing it wrong.

I just had a deja vu. have I made this kind of post before? 🤔

*search blog* yup! i did. back in March 2018. LOL but this is the 2.0 version!


Question No. 3 
"Since ko pernah ke sana, tell me what to do" "What should we do about tempat tinggal?" "Ke mana patut di aga ni?" "Berapa patut ku bawa?"
"Since you've been there, tell me what to do" "what should we do about accommodation?" "Where should we go?" "How much (money) I should bring?"

These are the questions that pushed me into making this post.

(I have a feeling this one gonna be too long but I'm not gonna break this into two part post coz, I'm not rajin)

People have the notion that since I've been there before, I must be an expert!

Ok, listen up (or read up) people! I AM NOT. 

the answer to this seems so difficult for me to give. coz i strongly believe that different people has different idea about 'travelling'. Kindly refer to Question No. 2 for my anxiety ridden reflexes. More often than not, I got annoyed.

but, I decided, I'm gonna take this opportunity to educate people.

Here we go:

it's 2019 and internet is a thing.

I'm not being ungrateful but I always feel like I'm the one person who has the least internet access or the only one who doesn't have access to wifi. 

BUT I have my phone data, and if I can do this with just that, then you definitely could too! 


Step one!
Google is your new bestfriend!
I know it can be daunting. You might feel like you don't know what you should do coz you've never done this before, etc.
But in this age and era, you must know about Google.
So, step one, open your internet browser or chrome go to Google.com (if this is not you default page, what are you doing?)

and then ask away~ 
What I did was ask Google "what to do in Seoul"

Example: 

Youtube videos will pop up with this too. So, if you are not rajin to read, watch those suggested videos.

Step two!
Accommodation!
Agoda.com
this one, I seriously cannot recommend you places to stay.
Why?
coz my idea of accommodation is cheap and for sleeping.
If you're the type to say, "eh so small the room" "no wonder cheap", please, I can't help you there.
As far as I know, hotel is expensive every where.
There will be cheap ones, of course, but you can't expect a lot.
You can't have the best of both worlds in this.
And if you're with family, definitely don't book 'hostel'..be realistic. 'hostel' is dorm like hotel room, meaning bunkers bed, shared bathroom area, no personal space, etc.
Again, you can Google your specifications; room for family, cheap hotel for family.
Also, remember to choose a hotel nearer to tourist attractions. thank me later.


Step three!
As you Google/browse thru ideas after ideas of what you should be doing in the country that you're going to visit, you definitely will have a list of places to go and things to do.
List them down. on a piece of paper or on your phone if that's more convenience you. 
I'm always the pen and paper girl, so I would list that down on paper.

this is just a sample, not mine. 

and it listed down countries but I hope you got what I mean LOL

If you wanna be extra you can do a Travel Journal like me. 
Jot everything down, where you wana go, what you wana do there, etc.

again, just a sample, not mine.

My journal was supposed to be like my travel itinerary and what I'm gonna use when I was in Seoul but it became so personal that I ended up not bringing it anywhere in fear I could lose it.
but the point of this step is to just jot everything down and making a list.
so stick to that.


Step four!
After you have your list, it is time to organize.
Yes, you must. if you come to me for advise, this is what you gonna do.

You must already have dates set on when you're gonna leave and when you gonna come back from your vacation.
with the help of the list you just make from Step Three, you now can do some military precision planning!
No, but this is gonna be awesome. especially when this is your first time going there.

for this step, Microsoft Excel is your bestfriend!

it also helps if you divide your places to visit base on area/city.

Here you can see me dividing places to visit/see base on area/city; two places to visit in a day, during night time can do shopping, etc.

I also do research on how to get there, what train to hop on, where the exit to a place from the station gonna be, etc.

I'm a little OCD, don't judge me.

I mean, every little thing helps! especially if its your first time there.

This Excel timetable was what I printed out and use all the time I was in Seoul.

Ok, ok. maybe this is not your thing. You can skip this part. Do your own thing. Improvise. You do you.
I honestly don't use this to the T! I made adjustment where needed. this is just a form of guideline. like, if that castle is close, you can go else where. you know, so you don't waste precious time and money.


Step five!
Budgeting!

here's an example from my Seoul trip.

again, depends on your wants and needs

you can break it down by days too if you want. but I can't do that. (▰˘◡˘▰)
also, something worth remembering, again, different people, different wants and needs.
I was on a budget, and yes, I do jot that I'm gonna shop but really, depends on you. If your plan is to shop then you know you gonna have to bring extra. If you plan to try all the food, again, you gotta bring extra, coz food ain't that cheap, for halal restaurant food anyway.

and that is what, when, where, and how I do my planning before my travel.

Three responses to FAQ, and additional "STEPS" on how to plan yours. 
I hope I laid it down clearly. If not, feel free to comment and I will try my best to respond back. 😉

If you noticed, this is my first time doing my planning this thorough. Even on my first solo Japan trip I wasn't this thorough. All I did on my first solo was print out a one-week time table and wrote down the places I wanna visit and i winged it when I got to Japan LOL.

but same principle applies; that plan is just a form of guideline so you don't waste precious time and money. 😉

I know this too long of a post but I wanna get it out of my system.

I wanna say thank you to Iku Tree from youtube.

it was from her video that I learn to make 'thorough' planning for my trip.

Thank You! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Check out her video below.



Yes, her video is for solo travelling to Japan but there are a lot you can take out for your own non-solo travel planning.

and with that, I shall end this here.

Thank you so much for reading up till here.

you the MVP!

. . .

Here come the lot

before we start on anything else, I shall post my August Challenge first.
coz it's dead overdue! ●‿●

So, here it comes

D15: Your Bedroom

well, this is like 1/3 of my room. and it's not exactly in that color. LOL

they are actually in white color.

D16: Something you bring for vacation. or in my case; THINGS

Honestly, I wasn't sure of what I actually bring during vacations. I know we had to bring some necessities. but the one thing I usually bring isn't really just ONE thing. it' a lot of things and the above are the examples. LOL me babbling is the worst.

D17: Childhood game

I was initially thinking of drawing Monopoly since that board game was and still is my fav but I thought, Snake and Ladder is so much fun to draw (and far more easier to draw (●*∩_∩*●) ) than Monopoly. AND it's a little nostalgic when I see this so I am glad Icpicked Snake and Ladder as my childhood game. 

D18: Nails

I drew my left hand and used real nail polish on this. \m/(>.<)\m/

I've always love the 'Sailor' theme paint for nails but I never got the chance to out them on my real nails. （〜^∇^)〜

D19: Fave Drinks. or Drink. (coz I lazy to draw (*~▽~))

 I only noticed that it says 'Drinks' as in plural. LOL 

I would have drawn like plenty if I've noticed it earlier. but I guess this will have to do since it really is one of my top most fav drink. ヾ(*´∀｀*）ノ

D20: Fave Artist/celebrity. (here's my version of cheat day; an edit picture via phone apps 
( ́ ◕◞ε◟◕`) )

this was done like last year on his Bday. hahaha 

I did want to draw this but see how complicated it gets? 

My brain isn't equip with such brilliance

⇎_⇎

D21: Workspace

this is a 3/4 of my work table at home. but believe me when I say picture(s) can be deceiving. hahaha and what I meant by that is my table isn't that neat.

D22: Dream

Yes, my dream is to go to one of the SHINee World Concert. After not being able to go to a Westlife Concert, I feel like I NEED to go to a SHINee Concert this time around.

D23: Fave Song

Annie 1999 version had always been my fav musical/movie of Annie.

I haven't watch the 2014 Annie but I heard this song on the radio and love it right away.

D24: Rainbow

I've loved Rainbow for its colors since forever. I even loved Rainbow cake for that same reason.

but ever since the US are using Rainbow as their 'Equality' colors, I began to not liking it anymore.

It's just my belief. I will not try and explain it here. 

I'm just pointing out just WHY THEY HAD TO RUIN MY FAV?! 

D25: Fandom

YAS! I am in the Shawol (short for SHINee World) fandom.

I'm also in so many book fandom (namely Harry Potter).

D26: Gadgets (once again, just ONE gadget)

as simple as this drawing goes, it took me ages to finish.

So that's it for this post. I have five more doodle challenge to go. and it shall be post before the month is up of course.

but first, (°ロ°)
let me take a selfie!

OK. See you on the next post. 

. . .

Make do

that one time that I wanted to paint my nails a nude color

I tried all the nude color tester in FaceShop, Etude, Holika Holika and SkinFood.

But I couldn't decide which one I should buy first.

So, the next day, after much consideration, I got home and decided to just paint my nails chocolate instead.

hahaha. 

kira, kalah-kalahan lah ni aku ah. Can not decide which one to buy, just use the one yg I already have. in my head, i was thinking, nude color is like skin color and skin color is a shade of brown and chocolate is a shade of brown. You see the connection now? 

just laugh when you still cannot see it.

a/n: I realised that my nails/fingers are ugly. they are so dry and lack nutrition. Just don't look too long at the pictures. :P

. . .

D12: Fave Movie

my current fave movie. 

I've always been a Cinderella fanatic and my ultimate fav has to be Ever After. 

but that one is a bit tough to draw and I don't have the energy to do tough doodling right now. So i settled with this one saja ≧◡≦

D13: Fave Book

once again, this is my current fav.

While I was figuring out about my fav book, I realized, I don't have ONE fav book. I have A LOT fav books! I know it's hard to believe but I'm a book lover. asking me which one is my ultimate fav is like trying to pick one fav star in the sky; i tat bit hard.

D14: Hobby

at first I wanted to write/draw me writing and reading. which they are (still) my hobbies.

but ever since the moving, all my spare time was spent on sleeping. Even when I was thinking of picking up a book to read (to check off my reading list), I ended up curled up on my bed to sleep. hahaha so, yeah, my hobby now is sleep.

"For in dreams we enter a world that is entirely our own," - Albus Dumbledore

I have a lot more to catch up on for the August Challenge. I was hoping I could catch up very soon.

. . .

a/n: it scares me just how many months have passed and we now fast approaching September. (⊙︿⊙✿)

. . 

One more thing

Now that I had the Manila Trip posts out of the way, 
I can post the August challenge.

but before that, I wanted to share this thing first.

It's the English toffee candy that I've been searching for a very long time.

I found it di SupaSave during the Hari Raya festives. 

and it costs 10.90 per box (the picture is deceiving. it's actually pretty small)

awesome.

but I'm a happy and that is all that matters!

I think this box could last me for a year. So, I don't have to worry about buying a new box anytime soon.

♪ ♬ ヾ(´︶`♡)ﾉ ♬ ♪

. . .

that being said, lets us now move on to the August Challenge.

D10: OOTD

I actually wore this on Aug 10th. 

D11: Something Cute

I Googled this and this is soooo cute in the real picture. I'm not doing any justice here. sorry real photo takers.

I shall post the rest of the August Challenge in the next post.

Thank you for checking this page out.

♫♪˙‿˙♫♪

. . .

Vacation

Day 9: Vacation

this had to be the laziest of doodle in the history of laziest doodle.

LOL

But since I'm flying in a few more days to Manila, I mean, why not draw Philippines flag, right?

and also,

I think I am coming down with a fever; runny nose, sore throat, sneezes like what, just, minus the fever.

I know I should be happy (YAY CUTI SAKIT!) but I am so malas to go to the clinic to take MC (a medical certificate stating you are unfit to go to work) so, I don't know. we will see tomorrow. 
It must be that durian I ate this morning. I'm not a durian person normally but it was sitting there on our kitchen floor, half opened and I just opened the other half. 
and later towards the day, I drank a lot of carbonated drinks. 
hmm...this almost reminds me of those days when all I wanted was to get sick and I did a lot of shits just to get myself sick. hahahah
but seriously, this time, it wasn't intentional. 
After I realized what I've done (with the carbonated drinks), I've pushed myself to drink a lot of plain water. I just finished a medium sized bottle and now on to the big bottle.
Not that it wouldn't be fun not to go to work tomorrow but I'm flying in a few days time and I don't want to be worried about body scan and what not at the airport when I'm still recovering from my fever. trust me, I know. I was sick on my way home from England last time and it was during the H1N1 out break. -.- You can call me paranoid. 

Ok, buat karangan panjang jua lah disini ani... LOL

imma go now. trying to draw tomorrow's D10: OOTD. I don't usually thought of OOTD. so, this is gonna be a challenge (no pun intended ;P)

. . .

What do I do with my life now??

I just finished watching this Korean Drama, called Maids.

Jung YuMi was in it. xD
you know, the girl from DongYi.
LOVE HER!

"A drama about the lowest class of servants during the Joseon Era.
In Yub (Jung Yumi) is a beautiful noblewoman who becomes a servant overnight when her father is framed and labeled a traitor.
She ends up falling in love with a fellow servant, MooYoung (Oh JiHo) who is the most attractive servant and skilled warrior in HanYang.
He is also a mysterious man who hides his real identity and pretends to be a servant.
Meanwhile, Eun Gi (Kim DongWook) is a man who has everything from intelligence to looks. He is the chosen groom for In Yub and will forms a rivalry with MooYoung."

the above I copied from the back of my DVD. hahaha satu saja yg salah; MooYoung wasn't hiding his true identity; he didn't even know who he was! Misleading ini synopsis.
Very intriguing from the beginning and story-line not so bad. sasak level on point. LOL and as for the ending..Well..sigh..bila jua ku suka Korean ani membuat ending cerita durang, kan? I think that ending could be better. 
I like it, I don't love it but you gotta acknowledge to the better 'killing'/'dying' scenes. q(❂‿❂)p  *applause* 

Right now, I'm considering whether I should start watching Rooftop Prince tonight or wait until I got from my Manila trip (which will be on the 13th. EXCITED!!). I know, old drama. I once wanted to watch it coz Micky Yoochun (former DBSK member and now part of JYJ). Now I want to watch it coz Jung YuMi was in it. xD

First, lets Eat!!

. . .

the problem with the August Doodle Challenge (as I come to realize) isn't exactly 'drawing'.
It's more towards trying to post a Doodle A Day that is more challenging for me. 
LOL
coz I'm dead lazy to EVEN turn on my laptop, you wouldn't believe!

So, yeah...
well played Esma. well played. 
hahaha

Day 7: Fave Food
No. it's not because of the dubu guy. I've always love chicken. way before he was born (coz I was born in 1987 and he was born in 1989 ≧◡≦  )

Day 8: Adventure
from the beginning I kept thinking about Harry Potter magical world in London, Orlando, Japan.
but because trying to draw Harry Potter is like me trying to sing to you all Westlife songs in one night, I thought to just draw that cartoon Adventure Time. 
Then I realised, I don't even really watch Adventure Time.
So, finally, I just took my time drawing my beloved HP-related things.
Hoping one day I will get the chance to go to Universal Studio, Japan or the Making of Harry Potter studio tour somewhere in England.

(I know challenger didn't ask us to explain but I thought I let you guys know this (⌒o⌒) )

. . .