Happy Snake Year 🐍

I think it's a snake year.

hello 2025.

another year, another wiser, ey?

I probably said in the previous post that I will try and post something but here we are again, making my traditional happy-new-year post.

Do I even have a life update? 

Well lets reflect back on 2024 a little bit:

1. Work wise.

for the first time in my 17 year of working, I was given a recognition certificates. Yes, plural! TWICE! first was during Half-yearly and the second one was during our End of Year lunch (which was done on 30 Nov coz no one wants to come on the 31 Dec LOL).

Can you imagine the warm feelings of getting acknowledge? after years being told you "haven't done much" to the department? It was so touching. Finally someone acknowledge my work / my work ethics. All the supposed little things I do to ensure the smooth running of the department (filing, making sure the dept stationery are in order/ready stock, cleaning/housekeeping folders) which previously kena minimize, are now being acknowledged and confirmed that it is A JOB. All those time that I was left "alone" to fend for the department and no one bat an eyelid (but when it was them, the whole world needs to know) and I was now thanked for?

Imagine the satisfaction! and of course, alhamdulillah! finally the truth is out. I mean, the truth about how I am not the worst of workers LOL. coz damn! for years I was made to believe that I was the worst. I mean I did tell myself that (I am not the worst) every now and then coz I did realize earlier on that I am not the worst? knowing and being shown what you know are two different things, ok?

Favoritism. 

That was what it was all about.

oh mind you, I have a new boss. in case I haven't mention that in previous posts.

I can now look forward to a more brighter future for myself in that company. InsyaAllah.

2. Travel.

Yo, I only travel overseas 4 times last year? 

Mar - Singapore for SHINee concert

May - KK for fam vacation

Sep - Miri for my birthday

Nov - Miri again, just becoz LOL

but one big reason I didn't really plan much was becoz my work is currently in the process of changing to a new system, thus, there were blocked months. So in order to not feel like my plan kena crush, better for me to not have any.

The same goes for this year as well. The migration is set for June 2025 so our months are block until end of 2025. There goes my Japan trip 2025 I guess..

but you never know. Things could change and ease up sooner than expected. Let's hope for the best.

3. My allergy reaction gotten worst at 37

yea, you read that right. I just got the worst allergic reaction final week of December. It started from two mosquitoes bite, led to an allergic reaction to one or two medicine, led me to a new doctor, and now, still recovering. 

It went from just shoulder, upper body itch, then both arms, torso, bikini line, and then slowly crept down to my thighs, legs, and feet.

Crazy experienced. Never had it that bad before. Paling-paling ah, mild swollen eyes, gatal-gatal dalam leher or lips kalau salah makan udang (I can eat udang just fine but sometimes some udang just makes me itch. oh, no bubuk/baby udang for me), and once in a blue moon, hives, that will be gone after one day.

Anyway, I am itching just telling this story but alhamdulillah, not as bad as it was last week. the red circles still ada but not as many as it was that first night. *shudder

Praying it will be gone by tomorrow. Aminn

What to look forward to in 2025?

definitely good health. I really need to start running again. or work. Which ever will help me lose some weight.

I need to focus on posting on my main IG again LOL walaupun not a priority at the moment.

I also need to post and be more organize with my second IG.

should I continue making monthly covers? yes. Should I stress about it? no.

I am currently waiting for my Syabab Planner. the Seller said it is currently waiting for shipment queue from HQ. hmm..like 2025 is here already..but if i can wait for my kpop Season's Greetings, I guess I can wait for this one as well. 

speaking of Kpop SG, I ordered Onew's one. no update on this. Sigh, i guess we're gonna me using this 'planner' in January huh?

Oh I didn't mention this here yet but I'm currently playing Harry Potter : Magic Awakened, a Harry Potter (duh) card game. well, I thought it was a card game. I found out about it when I was in Japan, Jun 2023. I downloaded the game as it launches and I have been playing since. Ok, ada period yang I ignore the game but after what happened back in August 2024; the US version of the game was shutting down, I had to adjust my Apple ID from US to Brunei, transfer game code from US-Warner Bros to Netease, the Asian owner of the game, (It was a whole new level of gaming for me coz I spent REAL money on this game!) I remind myself to log in at least once a day. I am currently in year 4, Charm level 91. it says my admission was on 29 Jun 2023, so I have been playing this game for over a year now.

oh another one. remember LINE Play? yeah.as of 20 May 2024, the game was closed. I played that game for maybe 8-9 years? man. that's the longest game I've ever played. even though towards the final year, I was just simply logging in to check and it was during one of this check that I found out it was closing down. That was in Mar 2024. At first I thought they were just closing a section of the game, like they did with one of their section before but I was wrong. I don't know when I realized that I was wrong about the information but once I did, I was finally back playing the game and taking lots of screenshots. I didn't spent real money on this game (thank God) but I did save at least 1 Million coins for I don't know what coz most of the items especially the Gacha collections were using Cash (real money) so i ended up saving 1 Million for nothing. Towards that final month tho, the game was giving out like thousands of Cash and I was playing the Gacha like mad. LOL I mean, merasai how it feels to have that kind of money in the game and get all the coolest items. ahahaha

Anyway, I should make a separate post for these games since I took so many screenshots. I clearly have a plan to share it somewhere other than in my diary/journal. We'll see *smirk

Ok I think that is a good length for an update.

I hope I will see you again next time. Lets pray its not gonna be a new year post in 2026 LOL.

In the mean time, hope 2024 had been good to you and I pray for all the good things to come to me and you in 2025. 

ok, bye.

Happy Dragon Year 2024

Hi.

Happy New Year! 🐉

Yes, I'm still holding on to this blog page.

it's almost a year from when I last posted on here too LOL I am not going to explain myself anymore. You already know how I be; motivated to the max now and be gone the next minute.

Anyways, life updates!

Um. I turned a year older. I got one 'false alarm' health scare in Mar 2023 but when I returned in Apr 2023, turned out that doctor was just making hasty conclusion. 🙄 

and I was obsessing over How To Train You Dragon like never before. Becoz now! I have access to the internet and I can search everything that franchise releases; the first TV shows, the mini movies, the netflix series. I read somewhere that the latest series in the franchise does not include our favorites but it is a story about the descendants. I haven't got around to look for them on the internet. Sabar. I will get to it soon.

Anyways, next..in bullet point form;

Work Life. 

Welp. still in the same department. I applied to a few positions late 2022 and early 2023. Only one menyangkut for an interview. It's an officer level and I didn't hear anything else after that one. I kinda knew I wouldn't get it anyways coz it was known that that you wouldn't get promoted to Officer position if you didn't have a bachelor degree. Sigh. but at least I tried. and stopped trying to apply i think after Apr 2024 coz I was rotated into a different unit and I simply focused on that for the whole 2023. You know, manatau now I feel better about working there. I did. for a while. and then. back to square one.

Also, our leaves are being monitored this year. coz big projects. and we have a new boss jua and the restructuring of our department is a nightmare. Not saying it's not working. I'm just saying, changes are always hard.

Yatah, I wanna go back to the original plan; tukar department and slowly moving out of the company. 

I mentioned this last year; I think it's better for me to change environment.

Let's try again this year.

Travels. 

1. Soooo..Westlife concert was underwhelming? LOL only becoz I thought i watched every Live Concert DVD they ever released and they sounded the same, gais! Their live vocal really do sound like that! I was impressed but also like, yeah-i-expected-that. Or maybe I was underwhelmed becoz I thought I would go nuts when they appear on the stage and I didn't HAHAHAH mau tah jua kan go crazy. but yea. It was a fun memory for me. albeit it being so calm. and no Encore coz we (people seating around me) agreed that they old already, 10pm is the max. LOL at least I reached my hotel by 11pm.

2. My next travel was in June 2023. to Japan! like I waited so long for this trip! another solo. and I was satisfied. I went for 11 days? and by the 9th day I was so fed up with everything and I wanted to go home already LOL. So i guess I didn't really want to move to Japan then. ahahah 

Remember how I lost so many footage from my very first solo Japan trip? Well, on this first solo after covid one, I restep the places I went di Osaka. I skipped the one in Kyoto, the TOEI Kyoto Studio Park. but from my train, I could see a huge Evangelion back's as we passed thru.

Obviously, things don't happened the same way twice. So, I ended up not doing much re-stepping but re-visiting the place and gained new experienced instead.

3. I went to Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia in end of September 2023. Yeah, I know. I don't know how I did it but it happened. this trip was actually a company trip. Ovvy I paired with my colleague. It was enjoyable and I appreciate my quick hands in applying for it LOL 

We visited this bridge yang the shape I recognized as, i think, Sarawak official bird, Kenyalang. I told my colleague that as we were walking, I felt the bridge moved but she said that maybe I was too tired and had a headache. I insisted one more time after that and she insisted that she didn't feel anything.

The next day, as we took taxi kan, the uncle taxi tu asked if we have gone onto the bridge and we replied yes. The uncle continued about the sejarah, and get this, I wasn't crazy. 🤯 the bridge was meant to move! It was designed to make you feel like you were walking on the birds' wings! (That was genius by the way but too bad for people yg gayat like me. I can go on roller coaster and feel nothing but walking on tinggi places like that bridge, no thank you. Begarak2 tah lagi.) The look I gave my colleague tho 😏

4. and last travel for 2023 was in December. This one a bit sacred. I went for Umrah. When it was confirmed, I cried and barely sleep fro 3 days and 3 nights (I remembered becoz it was over the weekend). but alhamdulillah. Kalau nya Allah jadi, jadi lah ia.

5. As for 2024 - I have one planned for End of Feb 29th. XD another concert gais. guess who? SHINee!!!! omg! ani aku excited a little more. coz I have SO many concert merch that I can finally used! Kan dulu bali and jadikan perhiasan. Now I can use them! The concert will be on 2nd Mar. and I found out today that apparently the date clashes with Taylor Swift's. No wonder SHINee's started at 4pm. I thought that was just the time you should start going to the venue. LOL Anyway, once again, I haven't bought my flight ticket nor my hotel. Laik, semoga hampit.

My hobby.

No, I didn't do a flip thru video of my old bullet journal creations. I actually didn't even post much last year. Like, I know I was always late in terms of dates / days but I really didn't post much. I don't know. Work became a drained again and I just neglect everything. When I did manage to post, they were super late. Like, I questioned myself so many times; what is going on girlie?

Hoping to restart again this year. Maybe not the 'bullet' journal part coz I bought a simple planner. Well maybe not so simple coz it has the Monthly planner, Weekly planner. The planner also provide or prepared other familiar section like the habits section, budgeting, exercise, period, etc for the whole year. Yatah, I thought, I don't need to create my own from the scratch. I can focus on why I have so many journals/notebooks in the first place; to write my most inner thoughts / feelings that I wouldn't or couldn't tell anyone and do all my planning/'shading'/'ticking' in the planner saja.

So here's to a more progressive writing feelings in my joural this year.

oh and btw, I only managed to use one thick journal/notebook last year and it wasn't even filled at the back. Give up ku. move on ku saja to the new year punya buku. Laik, I'm letting go.

I should include this here - I joined a 'community' (of 4-5 people LOL) of crafters. Bruneian. I 'applied' mid Nov 2023 and was included into a whatsapp group early Dec 2023. You know what happened to me in Dec kan? When I rejected their 'project'; creating tags and swapped them, I received a very not friendly text from one of the member, "as agreed before you join here" like, woman. there were no mention of a dateline when I filled in that Google form? 👀

The dateline was in Jan 2024. I agreed coz I scared they kick me out of the group 🤣 but by End of Dec 2023, I announced to the group how I won't be able to join the project afterall coz I was so overwhelmed - work wise and I know I can't commit. only two people bagi respond yang kind. the others macam luke warm gitu. I mean, I told you I cannot join but you insist masukkan my name di sana atu. One of the more kinder people did say to stay in the group if its not a burden and join the next project saja. Bukan kah nice cematu? Ani tarus2 kana attack masa awal2 atu. 

One other thing tho, dah tah my work banyak dateline. I couldn't stand a dateline for a hobby as well. that was a LITTLE disappointing. I wonder if I should just leave the group? I know the dateline is relevant coz the group want to received swapped projects and 'unbox' at the same time. I don't know. I still like the idea to receive something in the mail again after so many years. we'll see.

Reading.

hmm. I tried to read one book in Aug 2023 anddd..4 days, 147 pages. and I neglected it. the writing is good but I just can't. I'm looking at the book cover now and I just realized there was a person on the cover. Blurred but a person. the fuck. how come aku inda realize before ani? ahahah anyways, the book, Jodi Picoult Lone Wolf. I will finish it this year.

Why? coz I finally printed all the book cover of all the books that I have yet to read. Including Lone Wolf, I have 43 books to read this year.

I am officially on a book buying ban.

waitt. ke Singapore in march ani, I already have a list. LOL but only two yang I have not read before. We'll see on the implementation of the ban.

Anyhoo

Umm I start listening to audio books. I actually started like November 2023? and then I stopped. and restart again in Jan 2024. I found them on youtube and it was legit? and I like the reader. for some reason, the books yang I came across atu were the Hunger Games trilogy. That trilogy is chef kiss. Books to Movies adaptation has no competition in my opinion. Anyways, when I finished those, I thought I give the 4th book a try. I mentioned this book last year but I didn't quite mention the struggle. Like, I really hate it. Like, I just hate it.

BUT! that audio book! the reader! omg! I actually remembered some scene of the story and I was surprised about my feelings. Like, I don't hate it like when I was reading it. I was genuinely intrigued about the story (eventhough i already baca the physical book) and curious about what's gonna happen next. Like, wow. 

My conclusion as to why I seem to struggle a lot to read for so many years now is that I need to be in a good mood before I start a book. If i paksa myself so much, it becomes a chore and I hate chores. LOL I'm sure it's mostly my mood. coz there were a couple of time I forced myself to read for 30mins and I ended up so engrossed to the story even when I started it in a not so good mood. 

So, yeah. Mood plays an important role for me to finish reading my TBR pile. 

hwaiting.

Apa lagi yang kan di update? 🤔

oh! you know how I'm barely posting on my second IG with my craft? well, the same goes to my personal ones. All those trips? Nasib lah Westlife aku sampai mempost. My June Japan trip? syukur alhamdulillah I posted 1 in September for back-to-Hogwarts day. ahahaha and the one after that? Nope.

I've transferred all of them on to my HD kemarin kemarin and now I'm either going to post them as a photo dumb or sudah tah, Let it go. delete them from my phone, and move on. 🧘‍♀️ I am in need to clean my phone storage anyways.

I thought came to mind; post them on here. 🤭

Jom kita gelak sama-sama. 🤣

Yeah, if I managed to do that, I am the best.

Ok, I think that is all for now. Let's hope I be more active this year. Active in writing, reading, uploading photos on social media, and exercise. I need to start exercising soon too. Fed up ku doctor2 ani, asal jumpa appointment, cakap pasal BMI ku saja. naleh ku.

Ok, anyways, thank you.

See ya next time.

Happy 2023

Happy new year!!

I mean, it's already the 23rd. New year is still a new year.

Oh, and also Happy Chinese New year too to those who celebrate. It's the year of the Rabbit and I'm manifesting that this will be my year of positive changes.

Life updates?

I have reached 15 years working life. In the same department. You have read and witness my break down becoz of it too. So, I decided this year, I will look for a transfer to another department and out of the company entirely. If I'm not happy anymore, I must make this change. Just the other day, I was watching and old video diary where I rant frustration of their treatment on me, the lack of appreciation. I also came across a post here where I rant about how I was being singled out for having a strong opinion and attitude. That confirmed my decision for a change, to leave. It's better to change environment and be scared of the changes that comes with it than to have stayed, knowing what's gonna happen.

Travels! I have one coming in Feb. for a Westlife concert! Finally!! I waited my whole life for this. like, literally. I said to myself that to go to at least one concert and my westgal life will be complete. I haven't book a flight tho. Hotel already done. I haven't got a chance to book flight yet. Not money problem. More like, I want to change the flight tix voucher I won at our Annual Dinner, from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore coz I'll be going to Westlife concert in Singapore. The hold back is becoz I wanted to just fly to KL using that voucher and buy a separate flight tix for Singapore. The thing is, going to KL is not in my plan! I have to settle this tho by this week. Hoping the company where the voucher is from is not on a long CNY holiday. :S

My crafts. My creativity. My passion. It's been how many years now that I have my second IG up? I started posting 30 Sep 2020 and and now already 23 Jan 2023 which means (as helped by my calculator xD) I have my second IG for 2 years and almost 4 months! wahhh..feels like I only started posting last year. The fact that I already did my first ever flip thru of 2022 should have made me realize time already flew by. wow. Speaking of flip thru, I feel like I want to do another one or three of my previous years' creations or recreations. but that would mean I need to dig out old journals. I am not spiritually ready for that LOL. I still like the idea tho. So, it'll still come true. hopefully to fill in the rest of my January post days. Hwaiting

Reading! I read alright. just not an actually books. My attention span isn't what it used to be. I finished at least two books last year. Wait, let me double check. anything that I feel I did last year is now suspicious. LOL ok ngam, last year. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins in January, and The Desolations of Devil's Acre by Ransom Riggs in Apr. I tried reading other books but it was just not happening. My body and soul just wouldn't commit! In November I tried again with Paige Toon's The Longest Holiday but by page 34, sudah tah ku. lol Luckily, I still read a fanfic by an online friend I met at Asianfanfics. I still count that as my 'Read' in my habit tracker. I've read many of her stories every since I found her. Currently waiting for updates on current story, Aquarius. a sequel to Water Lily. In December, I read two books by Rachel Gibson online. Spicy~ I have a physical copy of her book I bought from Besteastern. but those books in the end stop selling here in our country. lol pasal apa nah? Explicit content. hahaha I bought that book in my early twenties and didn't realize its genre until much much later. it's corn in written form guys. or as booktok and bookgram put it, Spicy~ The story line is still good tho. I have read three written by Rachel Gibson and all three has three different backgournd. All about writers tho. Until I realize, it was Writer Friends series from her. hahaha ah well, anyway. At least, in total, I have read 4 books in 2022. Hoping to get back to reading in 2023 coz booktok and bookgram made me buy books to read (or to simply collect to be honest).

Alrighty, that is all that I can think for a life update.

I suddenly have a sudden urge to update so many here but we all know how I be; Motivated one minute, gone the next. LOL

thank you for reading this far as always. 

Love,

AJ Awang.

hi

*nangis in kpop 😭

this is the only, THE ONLY, place where I got all my kpop songs, or kpop related artists' songs (thus their Japanese/English songs too).
Sungguh sedih.
I think I found out about it on the first week of June coz I was finally rajin to download NCT Dream repackaged album Beatbox.

When the first thing I saw was the Thank You & Goodbye. 

Panic, sad, and even feeling of lost. 

but there is nothing we can do, obviously.

Sad as I was, I think word of encouragement and thanks would be better.

Yes, I start with being shooketh, but I ended it with thanks.

Like for real, as long as I know kpop and understanding my way around ipod/iphone/itunes, they have been part of that journey. So really thank you🎔for your relentless service on providing kpop songs for download for people who still preferred manual download and syncing songs from itunes to iphones. 😁 you the MVP 🥇

what are we going to do going forward?

search for other options.

and I found at least 2 that works for me today; https://ilkpop.com and https://matikiri.wapka.co 

the ilkpop is where I found the latest of NCT Dream Beatbox and Onew's first Japanese album

while matikiri is where I found the two songs that I like from Kimetsu No Yaiba / Demon Slayers 😏

I'm surprised at the speed the songs are being downloaded but listening to them now, they sounded awesome;normal so 🤷 I guess they work. better ada than nada, right? 😇

On board SMCU Express to Kwangya

SMCU Express

7:12pm 1st Feb 2022

This was the best decision I've ever made; confirming order for SHINee version.

I mean, look at the color?

Ok, maybe not these (silver and brown) color

                                              👆but theseeee👇                                            👆

So beautiful.

I was blessed with Onew's poster, Key's photocard, and Minho's ID card. I got all three of them in one pull 😘💓

and oh before you panic, Taemin's in the army. That's why it's Onew, Key, Minho of SHINee instead of just SHINee. 💖

I appreciate SM's effort matching the associated color of their artists into this release; Boa Yellow, TVXQ Red, SuJu Blue, SNSD Pink, SHINee Aqua, EXO DarkGrey, RedVelvet SalmonPeach, NCT LimeGreen, and Aespa OmbreBluePink (and mixed becoming pastel purple).

Like for once, SHINee album (Ok, it's not really a SHINee album) is surrounded with PearlAquaGreen. I love it!

It's an entire SM artist winter album. The last time SM released a winter album was in 2011 and f(x) was in it. 

Bitter.

but this music video is love.

I really love how they included the iconic / legendary blue sky with cloud in the background!!! and of course, super duper appreciative of the respective artist associate colors in the background too.

Except for aespa's. They look too close to f(x) 's color. Pastel Purple is f(x) and to pass that color to aespa is making me feel bitter. but I try to remind myself about not to hold on to something that is out of our control.

Speaking of control. I was rewatching / watching videos of SMCU Express unboxing and that made me feel like I want to buy everyone's versions; Boa, SuJu, NCT, RedVelvet, just for the sake of having them in my collection. I mean, so colorful in their own color! 😍

shawolzenl unboxed 4. I have yet to learn her name and I just called her "cShawolZenL" 😁

There's also an SMtown version which apparently includes all the artist involve in this release. but that version's cover kinda boring? I duno. The chuchu train in the cover is great. I love the concept for this on the way to Kwangya thing. 

I was sooo 👌 close to order it from my trusty kpop merch seller BUTT

I stopped myself from ordering coz we don't need to collect ANYTHING!

SELF-CONTROL! 💰

We'll just have to enjoy them via other people unboxing videos.

I might go and buy the other member photocards and IDs tho. coz I see a lot of Onew's ID card on other people unboxing videos and I want one too. 🤷 We'll see.