Blog Award!

How awesome is  this, I got my first blog award from Sara of One Long Road. Love!

So I pass this on to Oh Missy Me, dolce vita, White Rabbit and my most recent blog crush afiori; whose blog is filed with loveliness! 

My brothers are back home this weekend and I'm going to be quite busy hanging out with them and doing all the brotherly-sisterly things, you know fighting, yelling, arguing and then laughing at each other. It's going to be such a fun weekend! I'll post more about my birthday and the weekend when things settle down a bit.

Love to all you lovely people out there. Have a great weekend! 

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twenty three

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A Birthday Letter

Dear Farah,

Today you turned 23 years old. And now its time to see if the glass is half empty or half full. You WILL be 23 only once. The years will come and go and you will age, so no time is better than the present. 

Be happy.

Do whatever it is that makes YOU happy. Quit thinking about the consequences and point of views of others. It really isn't worth it. So what if you like neon colours better? So what if you have a funkier 'do? So what if you like rock now more than ever? So what? Remember that as long as it makes you happy and it feels right; it is right for you. Just go out and book that holiday that you've been wanting and get that haircut that you so desperately think you need. 

Do something.

Do something that stimulates you. Sign up for that dance class. Join a gym. Teach literature. Do ballet even, as long as you are challenged and passionate about it.

Be creative.

I know you can't just be creative at any given time. Inspiration comes at odd times and places-even the toilet, but just make sure that you don't let inspiration waste away in the recesses of your mind. You are talented. Be it wording poetry or writing a short story or even creating a journal; just do it. Don't think so much about the rights and the wrongs of things. There will always be someone to help you, to guide you when you need it the most. All you need to do is just reach out and ask for help and you will be blessed with it. 

Smile.

Smile my dear girl. You have a beautiful smile that should always be on your face. You are worth all the trouble, all the pain in the world. If you don't believe that just ask Kath and boypren. They will agree in a heartbeat. And making silly faces will make you laug

Don't waste away the gift that time has bestowed on you; youth. Take advantage of it to the fullest. I hope you take heed of my advice and for once, view your life as half full. 

Contrary to what you believe, you have achieved a lot this year; you graduated (plus you didn't trip during the ceremony), you finished your thesis and received a grade that you didn't think was possible, you still keep in touch with all your close friends from uni and a few from work, you did get accepted into the masters program at Southampton Solent University (attending however is a different issue), you are surviving through the ups and downs of a long distance relationship, you discovered that you do have a penchant for photography and can take decent photos, you are writing more on  your blog (where before this was only a place where you let go off steam or just forgot about it all together), and you are making more blog friends. Although these things might seem just ordinary they still are your achievements-yours alone. 

So for now, have a party, have a haircut. Whatever it is just be your most sparkly self (and you know you are). 

Happy Birthday Farah.

Lots of Love,

Farah Anwar

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Vintage Vogue Covers

Vintage Vogue Covers.

Pure art in my opinion.

Images from Cover Browser

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Raquel Reed

How can you not love this picture? It has all the Alice in Wonderland elements

plus her dress is gorgeous.

Check out her photostream on Flickr. 

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Farhan

This is baby Farhan; my cousin's son-my nephew.

He is such an adorable little guy, always smiling, always laughing that I thought of taking some photos of him. Because he is always moving, I could only take pictures of him when he was sleeping. Used my dinky lil' Olympus digicam.

I just love babies hands.

So small and trusting.

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Waisted

Look what I bought today online!

A grey highwaisted skirt for only RM49 (postage included). 

Steal!

Got it from Lush Serendipity.

Can't wait to receive it in the mail.

p/s: don't you think it will look great with my happy purple heels?

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A bit of Bokeh

Bokeh is a type of effect in photography which produces a blurry background. The word itself bokeh is adapted from the Japanese boke, which means blur.

In photography this term is used to describe the quality of the areas in the picture

which are not in focus.

You can achieve the bokeh effect with anything kind of background, but personally for me,

I think the best is when lights pose as the backdrop.

It gives of a kind of modern fairytale vibe.

There are so many pictures online done with the bokeh effect.

These two are one of my favourites. Plus there were too many and my brain currently is

refusing to cooperate with me.

I would love to try this effect one day though.

photos via Flickr

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Cupcakes

Well, I'm clueless. My birthday is next week and I have absolutely no plan whatsoever! None. Nada. Nope. Nothing. I tried looking for cupcakes today and none of them are available! It seems like they all knew that my birthday is coming and decided to take a break that time. 

So yeah, no cupcakes, no buddies, no presents, NO CUPCAKES!!!! *sigh* I just want to crawl under my bed and hide till July '09. Can I? Please? 

The pictures of all the cupcakes are from Cupcakes4you. Aren't they so pretty? With all that fondat deco and cuteness? I emailed them even though they said they will be closed. I hope that they can make an exception for me (I'm quite sure I sounded pretty desperate). 

If anyone knows of really good cupcake makers in Penang, please, I repeat, please drop me a line! 

p/s: I'm gona be making my birthday wishlist tomorrow! I made one last year but I didnt really get anything on it. Here's to hoping for this year. ;)

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Love is Gone

Happen to chance upon this song while watching tv one night and it totally stuck to me!

Love it!

And no don't worry I'm not feeling that the love is gone, just that

daymn this song is catchy! ;)

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Happiness in a Box

If happiness came in a box, I swear to God that it will be in the form of
purple colored heels!
They are gorgeous! I saw them in the mall on Friday and I couldn't stop thinking about it for three whole days! On the fourth day I decided,
rain or shine,
I will buy this pair of heels before I leave for Penang.
And I did!
It's sheer happiness!

The color is closer to the picture below.
I love them!
And now I really need to piece together outfits so that I can wear my happy purple heels!
I'm thinking monochromatic outfit with my happy purple heels.
Why yes, I am calling them my 'happy purple heels'!

What do you guys think?


What makes you incredibly happy?

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Soak Yourself

I was going through a few of my favourite blogshops and I came across these studs from
Soak Republic
I adore them! But only I can't pull them off!
I'm such a nerd.
*sigh*
another one of my wants.

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KL Trip

Well currently I'm a little upset. My handphone isn't able to send pictures via Bluetooth to my lappy. Anyways, this trip I had a real fantastic time with my friends. I went to watch a movie, rode on a motorcycle (the picture from my phone), had an impromptu girls night out, attended a birthday party and ate alot. I love my food! =)

The riding on the motorcycle was the most hilarious one of them all! I looked like a first class dork with the helmet and all. But hey,
it was insanely fun and would probably do it again!
Thank you Uncle! ;)

My dear dear girl Nana, I stayed over at her place to help ease the pain of a broken heart.
I just hope that I helped and gave her some perspective. The only
down side is that I cant stop thinking of a particular dress that we saw together!
*get out of my head!!!*

On the way to Klang for the birthday party. I am glad that I was
able to make my girl smile!

Happy Birthday Fen!!!!
Hugs and kisses
Had a blast with you and your family. Hope that
you are enjoying yourself in Phuket with your family right now.
Call me when you get back sweetie ;).
(The link is the album uploaded on Facebook)

All in all, I had a faboulous time thanks to my friends Nana, Fen and Uncle (!!)
You guys are the best!
Thank you so much for making time for lil ol' moi.
And thank you for turning my frown upside down!I'm all smiles just thinking about all
our escapades.


And now back to the real world, where decisions are waiting to be made. *sigh*

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Back!

Hey boys and girls,

I'm back!

Well I actually came back on Tuesday (19/5) night but I was just way too tired to do anything! have loads to share! I promise I will do it soon, although it will come it separate posts! Love all of you wonderful people who have been reading my blog. Cookies for everyone!

Shoutout!!

First of all, a really really big thank you to all you guys who have commented on my blog! Seriously you guys light up my day. I never ever expected for it to get any outside readership let alone any comments. You guys are the best pick-me-ups in the world and I really mean it!

Secondly, I'm going off to Kuala Lumpur today evening and am not sure if I will be able to post anything till I get home on Monday (18/5).

So guys, once again thank you for all the support and keep on showing me the love! woot woot! ;)





image from Aisle Talk

Always Be My Baby

David Cook's cover of Mariah Carey's 'Always Be My Baby'.
I love this version better than the original.
Sorry MC *shrugs*.
Enjoy!!

Beautiful Beach

I followed my mom (again) today for a wedding. It was one of our old friends and it was only natural for us to attend. It was their daughters wedding and they had it at the beach side in one of the hotels here in Penang.

It was so beautiful. It was a small and cozy affair where almost everyone knew each other and distant friends met. The smell of the ocean air, the sunset casting lights overhead was just so romantic. It was a beautiful beginning to starting a life together as husband and wife.

Wishing them all the happiness in the world.


image taken from Wedding Planner Plus

The Golden Girls

I went with my mom for her friend's birthday; more precisely her 60th birthday. She was my mom's school mate and naturally all the other ladies who were there knew my mom from their schooling years as well. They were best of friends, at least that was what my mom says to me.

So as I sat there, at their table, watching my mom giggle like a schoolgirl, and I can't help but wonder how would I be when I am 60 years old. Would I still be in touch with those who I call my close friends now? Or would I have a different set of friends? Would we be still giggling over the good old days or will we be talking about what was currently going on in our lives?

But the thing that really struck me was, will I ever be embarrass if my kids ever find out my shenanigans? I hope not, because I know at one point my mom was slightly embarrassed as her friends were telling me how my mom was when she was in high school. Looks like there were some similarities there!

All I can hope for is that my friends and I all grow old gracefully (!!) and still keep in touch with each other. Who knows, we might just celebrate our 60th birthday together! ;)


photo taken from Flickr

Death

My laptop is dying! One of the reasons that I haven't updated in a few days, I have been mourning its impending death and also the internet connection has been seriously funky. So I'm depressed and really wanting a Macbook. *sigh* Not in the mood. Sorry guys.


photo by Anthony Carlucci

Night Lights

I go to sleep with this view from my window in my room every night and I wake up to the outlines of it. This is the Penang Bridge; it connects Penang Island (where I live) to the mainland. It is one of the longest bridges in south east Asia if I'm not mistaken (sorry, just too lazy to check it right now).

I love this bridge. I cannot count the amount of times that I've crossed it, looked at it from my window and searched for it during a particular cloudy or hazy day. It has been my confidant throughout all these years and watched me grow. It saw me dancing in the rain as well as bonding with my brother.

But even though I love it so much, I'm longing for a room with a different view.


photo taken from Jason Photography (whom I think is excellent)

p/s: if you have been to Penang and not seen the bridge at night, that trip doesn't count! ;)

Random-ness

I have no idea why, but currently I am feeling very very random which resulted in me google-ing a couple of words, including my name! so here are the results.

A quirky bedside table, really cute to look at really but not so much practical.

A very quirky necklace from French Connection.
I really like this year's chunky statement necklaces.
Love, love, love what Amy Adams wore to the Oscars!
LOVE!

Andy Warhol's portrait of Empress Farah Pahlavi

Rules of Engagement

This weekend has been quite interesting for me. I went for an engagement party, my nephew Danny is staying with us for a while and the Internet was out.

So let's take it from the back shall we:

• the Internet was out since Saturday night(2/5) and turned out that it was actually wiring problems and was fixed today. Thank god, I was getting incredibly restless and cranky.
• my darling nephew has come to stay with us for awhile, which is just wonderful. We all miss the cheeky lil' monkey when he is not around.
• we,mom and I, attended her best friends daughter's engagement party on Saturday evening. I am not personally very close to her but we were born only two weeks apart from each other. So there is a feeling of kinship present as weird as that may sound.

She looked very pretty that day. I did try to take as many photographs of her as possible but nothing came out good enough to post here. I was so extremely angry. I bought my digicam with all my savings and now feel like I wasted my money. Now I know better than to buy another Olympus camera. Never again! grrrrrr.....!!

I am really happy for her and her family. My heartfelt prayers go out to her and may she and her future husband have a married life full of love and happiness.

The funny thing was though at the party itself, many of the other elderly ladies were asking my mom about me! It was a right nightmare! They wanted to match make me to their sons and nephews. Gods, it was terribly unnerving when they all stare at you as if appraising your value.

Anyways, here is to wishing her oodles and oodles of happiness, cheers!!


photo taken from Flickr

p/s: if I do get the professional photos I will try to upload it here.

Courage

"I think that when we look for love courageously, it reveals itself, and we wind up attracting even more love. If one person really wants us, everyone does. But if we're alone, we become even more alone. Life is strange."
~Paulo Coelho


photo by Philipp Klinger

Please...?

While I was having an important discussion with my brother last night, I realised that I was really worried what he thought of me. Did he think I was selfish, stupid, impatient, ignorant? What did he think of me-as a person, as a sister? I was so worried that after the discussion, I couldn't go to sleep, the thoughts were running in my mind like a bullet train, zigzagging in and out. Did I say the right thing? Did I do the right thing by talking to him about it? Will my big brother still dote on me?

I then I knew what my problem was, I was a parent-pleaser. I always knew it, but this time it hit me really hard. It is basically the same thing as being a people pleaser but for me it is focused solely on my family and the reactions they give me which results to me being unable to relax and chill out; being just myself in front of them. If asked, I can smile at the drop of a hat, just to pretend that everything is good, everything is fine no matter what the turmoil is inside. The only few people that I can be just myself are my really close friends and my boypren (whom I miss so so much). It is always their support and motivation that keeps me going.

I have done a whole lot of things for them, my family, but always felt as if it wasn't good enough-never good enough. So I am making a resolution for myself, beginning today since May is my month of birth, that I am going to do all the little things that make me happy and also fight for what I think and I know is right for me.

I am going to put my feelings, thoughts and needs first before everyone else. I have a right to be happy. And I shall be.


image from Escape Abuse, read the article if you want more imformation about people pleasers.