Life & such

Assalamualaikum & hellooooo February!

Wow…how time flies huh? We have entered the second month of the year man. My colleagues are having Xmas as they just received their annual bonus for the efforts poured in 2014. As for me, I’m just feeling happy for them. Since I have experiences of changing companies, I too have tasted the bitter smile of looking on other’s premium remuneration. My time will come; insyaAllah.

How is the year by far? Nothing much, still. I’m still kicking and rocking my modeling thing though but in a much slower tempo. I’m just not feeling confident with how I look these days or the fact that my body is not in its best shape. I haven’t jog for a while neither go to the gym and this sucks. I wake up 5.15am & I’m freaking tired every day when I arrived home as my task doesn’t end there; it would either be Uncle Din or me to fetch Piya from her play school, then I would have to do the laundry, put dinner on the table, pack Piya’s school bag, hang those clean laundry, fold the previous laundry & cook meals for the next day. Everything must be done by 9pm as I aim to sleep early. Phewww….. #life

A good friend of mine from Proton; Lat (she too has started a new journey with a different company now) gave me a wonderful insight. She told me that I have prayed to Allah SWT for this chance, for this new beginning and Allah SWT bestowed us on things that we can handle. I prayed for this to happen so suck it up & embrace all the hardships. I hate to admit it but she is 100% correct. I may whine once or twice but I’m not regretting any of my decision. I stand by my decision and I’m still going around it to find the best way to accommodate this new life. Goodness gracious me… #lifeagain

There was a casting the other day for a local renown muslimah magazine; Nur. They were scouting for their subsequent front cover girls and their criteria suits me well. I brought 2 of my new friends from PET to give it a try as I truly think they fit the picture. I don’t mind if I’m not selected but I praaaaay my girls would land a chance. You see, I have this odd habit of observing people & beauty is one of the apparent pulling factor. That is why I’m trying my best to introduce my new buddies into this modeling field. I have seen worse but somehow or rather they made it because they have deep passion to strive for it. We’ll see…

Is life going well as I foresee it to be? I guess so. Well… the veracity remains the same though; I’m very much happy now. InsyaAllah..

Modeling is hard work

Assalammualaikum and hello...

My entry would be short, sweet and simple. I'll try.

Lazada is a virtual hub where they sell like almost everything! Kitchen appliances, electronic gadgets, toys, makeup, perfumes, fashion and recently they climbed another notch by launching muslimah attire. They're still green so you gotta bare with the available selection. 

 I am given the opportunity the represent their muslimah line and to be frank with you; I seriously don't have an inkling how long will they keep me. It wasn't easy to be a part of their team as the head of fashion team has outlined attributes that not many Malays can cater. The models must be tall (around 170cm), slim, sharp features, big eyes, edgy look, camera friendly, big smiles, beautiful face and most importantly easy to work with. How do I know these? Because I helped them scouting models and man..... It was freakingly tiresome and exasperated. So how did I got the job in the 1st place? I was recommended by one of the labels that Lazada is selling and apparently Lazada does not have a pool of resources. Yet. So yeah, it was mere luck. 

 Gathering compcards were not as easy as I thought it would be. It was so bad that I develop an agonizing headache which eventually worsen to a slight fever. Oh.... I felt like a wrecking ball. I was trying hard to put on a good face last week so that Uncle Din would allow me to join the marathon that I signed up on Saturday. Alas! I really had tried but my body was terribly aching hence I missed the marathon. To amend things, Uncle Din treated us Spiderman 2 which apparently is Piya's current obsession. We had a great time but I was struggling to remain compose beneath those pounding heads and aching body. 

 

My fervent hopes; I even exercised early in the morning to prove that I'm well

 I started the week with Lazada at their new studio which is incorporated in a warehouse at Subang. The new studio may be nearer but the traffic was no less friendlier. The shoot was fun and all but I'm not sure how I can endure another one. If there is one. Being new, there are plenty of room for improvement. There was only 1 small aircond, 1 mobile aircond, 2 table fan and no air ventilation at all. As models, we wore a jumpsuit underneath the entire time; a long sleeve turtleneck & an inner neck. Each one of us had easily around 20+ attire to change and to style our own turban. 

 As I said, the job was fun but it required a lot effort to bare with. I felt like being hold in car with a broken aircond for 9 hours. The ambiance was so stuffy and really uncomfortable. Well, it's a warehouse for goodness sake right? The misery after taste is still around as I'm writing this post. I've vomited liquid for many times throughout the day, feeling nausea, my head is pounding and I really feel like crap. I can't sleep which is unfathomable and I don't get a good night sleep either (who does after having kids??)..

So who ever said that our job is easy peasy will get a smack in the face... We had to bare with the stuffy heat ambiance, stand for hours and remained cheerful in front of the lens. Some jobs offered generous payment, while some were compromised. 

Modeling is hard work.

Thank you for reading.

Jazakallahu Khayran    

My first Benefit : Dr Feel Good

Assalammualaikum & hello there...

Doing what I'm doing requires me to learn my own makeup. The reason being is that it is an added value in applying jobs and you get to determine your final look. The perks of being a model right? For the past 1 year, I've observed how the MUAs did their magic using all sorts of brushes & makeup brands. I'm an engineer hence I do observe. Observe, learn and practice. Some of the touches does fascinates me while some just irritates me to the core. It was a good thing that I listened to Kak Azlia; founder of Get Gorgeous Boutique. She advised me to take makeup lessons from MUA's that I reckon are satisfying and eventually do my own thing. Thankfully I did.. I took lessons from Cik Sarah Hatta & CikQu; my favorite MUAs.

Now, speaking of being observant, most of the MUAs use the same available products such as MAC, Bobby Brown, NYX, Revlon, FCC, Shu Emura etc. So once I'm seated on the comfy chair offering my face to be painted, I would glance through their tool box to note on the stuff that they're using. But one particular photo shoot caught my attention though. It was the shot that I did for Hijabista Magazine March 2014. Unlike the other makeup, the MUA applied my face with a balm to moisturize the skin and for glowing effect; so she says. I was taken aback by the gesture as I was not familiar with the technique. Plus, being a novice, I must admit I never heard of the brand. It was so humiliating when my face puzzled upon being made known of the product because the it is a prominent brand. But of course I displayed a very convincing face instead. And this is what I'm talking about.

Dr. Feel Good by Benefit

Every makeup-avid-lass is familiar with Benefit only I didn't. Hehehe silly me.. When the MUA rub the balm on my face, it felt soothing, cool & fresh. The makeup felt fresh, I felt excited and most importantly the end result was gorgeous. It does gives you an incandescent radiant effect after all.

The makeup

The editorial

 As I'm still learning on doing my own makeup, I was determine to get this Dr. Whatnot for myself. I did visited Benefit store at 1Utama and was left confounded reading the price; RM115 for this small can? You gotta be kidding me...... The price did deter  my intentions but the thing is, I have one big fat problem; I can't daunt things that I yearn to posses. It's haunting and bloody annoying. So, like a school girl, I piggy-bank in order to afford them. And voila! After 3 month of saving, I finally have my very first Benefit.

Subhanallah... Ironically, the name does upholds its status. I do feel good every time I applied the face balm even on weekends. It's expensive so I need to optimize the usage. And before I end my entry, it wouldn't be fun without a glimpse of drama huh? Piya is easily enthused by aero planes. As we live near the Subang Airport, we would definitely cross paths with flying planes whenever we are out and Piya would be so giddy! Unfortunately for her, while we were on our way to complete my mission of grabbing the balm, she missed aero plane's sight and cried.... It was really funny that I struggled to suppress the hysterical giggles begging to burst out. 

 

Well, her mood changed when I asked for a selfie and she really is getting cheeky these days.

 That's all for now. Thank you for reading my detailing thoughts.

Jazakallahu Khayran

Juggling this & that

Assalammualaikum & hello..

Just a quick update; 

Yesterday I was on Emergency Leave due to inevitable circumstances which took place prior. Remember my previous post that Piya was under the weather? Well, apparently the doctor missed out one crucial medicine which aims the inflammatory throat. I did asked the dispensary prior checking out but they said that antibiotics should be good enough. So I went back to the office like norm and as I was schedule for a photo shoot that night, I prep myself in the ladies rest room. Bahahaha! Never thought that this would ever happen to me; doll up in the office. Pfft...

Model & MUA : Yours truly

 While I was applying my whatsnot, the principal called and said that Piya was terribly ill and there was no signs of improvement. That's strange.... MakTok fetched her promptly and I rang up before leaving the compound. She said that Piya was warm but is fine.. Thank goodness.. So off I went for my photo shoot. Apparently neither Uncle Din nor MakTok wanted to worry me. As I reached home around 3pm, I was terribly shock to find that Piya was weak & awake while Uncle Din was sponging her tiny body. She was at 39.9 ^oC.. Subhanallaaaaaaah.... I struggled to remain sober and compose as I was extremely exhausted.. And now this...? I remembered that I still kept a bottle of the inflammatory medicine in Piya's medical kit but Ayah didn't found it. I reckon he was just as exhausted as I am. So I gave Piya the medicine and watched her sleeping soundly. Her temperature began to deter and I too, began to fall into a deep sleep..

 With the history of febrile fit, we kept on checking her body temperature and Alhamdulillah she was stable without any spike after taking the medicine. As I keep mentioning to my friends and my previous posts, viral fever is normally caused by inflamed throat. Treat that and InsyaAllah she will be fine. Piya was obviously tired and so was I. MakTok scolded me for worrying about work more than caring for my daughter. She was right though. I can find another job but I can't replace my family. So I took a leave and stayed with her the entire day. And guess what we did?

Visited her former babysitter. Piya has a close rapport with her Ummi and I don't mind that. Ummi has tremendously contributed to Piya's upbringing. We may have parted ways but I don't intend to burn the bridge behind. Better still; to even pick a bone with her. I love Ummi... Glad we decided to give her a visit because Piya loves her.. She played hard and dozed off in the car..

Well, that's about it.. wish me luck for tomorrow peeps..

Jazakallahu Khayran

My new love ; Malady Couture

Assalammualaikum & hello there..

If you have been following my blog, facebook or my instagram, it is kinda palpable to notice that I am a big fan of shawls. I detest the instant hijab as it makes me look older and I don't perceived them flattering. I'm sorry.... I know that there are many new designs, styles and even designer wear such as Sugarscarf, Ariani & Radiusite but I don't know. It ain't my kind of thing... Besides, more often than not, the instant hijab are getting more 'busy' these days with the layering designs and I find them redundant with the attire. I find them inapt. I believe in matching my tudung gracefully with my attire. I believe in wearing plain simple shawls against pattern blouses or pattern shawls with plain blouses. Matching tudung with your attire is an art and my knowledge is neither vast nor half of that. I still have a lot to learn too.

Arguably, even shawls have many design and pattern these days. But my heart still holds on dearly to plain, monotone & simple shawls. I have plenty of RM10 shawls because the quality is good enough. What matters is that the material is good, the pattern is simple and the design is evergreen. A true fashionista can style simple shawls gracefully without the assist of intricate designs. Less is more baby. Do you want Joan Rivers to knock you in the head? *Fashion Police Alert!

So speaking of which, I stumble upon a new profound shawl from Malady Couture and the shawls took my breath away. I truly love their monotone colors, how the shawl drops elegantly covering my chest and the high quality material. Chiffon baby! It is very important to seek wide shawls as they provide better coverage and c'mon ladies. You do concur that covering aurah is beautiful right? Yeaaa, I thought so.

And voila! My lemonade shawl from Malady Couture! 

 

See how simple is the design? The colors? The material? The width? Oh my... *faint.... I love the shawl very much and don't have the heart to wear it on an outing with Piya fearing she might smudge it with chocolates. Uurrgh.. The thought... Malady Couture is a local boutique that patented their design which means you won't find them elsewhere. Kak Mass Mohamad; the founder designs her own stuff with limited editions. I find this intelligent and I appreciate the notion. Something odd & uncommon from the rest huh? Yeaaaa.... I thought so too.. Being different makes you stands out in the crowd..

So here are some examples of wearing them and the available colors. 

 

Kak Mass's models are among the most renown in Malaysia (eceeewah) such as Putri Sarah Liyana, Linda Roslan & Eyfaqila.. 

 

Hamek kau! Kelas kan brand nih? Model top2 jer... x amek model picisan mcm I nih... Kne top dulu baru boleh apply nak jadi model Kak Mass.. And here is another shawl from Malady Couture that caught my attention. An instant hijab shawl! 2 in 1.. Acaner tuh??? Pakai instant tapi nampak mcm shawl... Camner pulak tuh? Cenggini... Tengok Kak Mass pakai yea..

 Haaaa... That's all for today... Saja nk share my excitement berkenalan dengan shawl yang best.. Weeee.... Nanti nak share pasal crumpled shawl pulak yea... 

Thank you for reading ladies.. 

Jazakallahu' Khayran