I got home from Sydney on Monday night, technically Tuesday morning because it was 1am when we got back to my cousins' apartment. I miss Sydney's weather already! Sydney was so warm and lovely. I did intend to do vlog whilst I was there but I don't think I have enough footage to make it into a vlog. Even if I do, it would be a very boring one. Hence, this photo diary!!! Also, some of these photos belong to my dad. I'm sure you can tell which ones :p

I think this place is called Mrs Macquarie's Chair? Correct me if I'm wrong.

11:15pm

Martin's Place

Town Hall

Anzac Memorial

I find the name of this restaurant hilarious because if you've been reading my blog since 2010, you'd know that I was OBSESSED with the band, Tokio Hotel.

I feel like this photo sums up my lack of photography skills. I think this picture is terrible, honestly.

The Gap? Watsons Bay? I don't remember.

Dad's photo of Bondi

Bondi Beach

Dinner at Bondi

Also, look at this picture I took at Brighton Beach here in Melbourne recently. SO nice!! I did not edit this picture. I didn't have to. Just look at it!!

Sydney, somewhere near Bondi Beach.

1. I miss Malaysian Food.
2. I miss my friends & my parents.
3. I don't like winter. Love layering but hate how early the sun sets. It's actually depressing.
4. I miss having Halal food everywhere. Clayton has quite a lot of Halal restaurants/butcher. It's so convenient but there's no places like Boat Noodle, Little Penang Cafe or the like. We have Papparich here though. There's one opening soon at my campus. Excited for that! They also have this Halal food joint on campus that sells fried chicken.... so I am happy bout that HAHA tapi harga bila you convert to Ringgit... $$$$$. I also miss Gula's Choux Pastry and Aglio Olio :(
5. WHY IS MAKEUP HERE SO EXPENSIVE

I ALSO MISS MY CATS MORE THAN ANYTHING.

My second week in Melbourne is almost over. I've got about 15-16 weeks left til summer break. I'm slowly adjusting/adapting to how everything works here. I love how polite everyone is. They're so warm and inviting, just like Melbourne itself. Still finding it hard to believe that I live here now. It feels like me fantasizing about living here was just yesterday. Fell in love with Melbourne two and a half years ago and look where I am now. I am so grateful to my parents, to God, to everyone.

This is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Something so beyond my comfort zone. Like my best friend said, I'm always that one friend who likes to stay in on weekends and watch movies (i.e. likes having A LOT of me time) so moving to a different country IS going to be a struggle. I have cousins here so I don't exactly feel so alone. It really does help having family/people you know. As for cooking my own meals... Yeah, that's a work in progress. I can only make breakfast food - scrambled eggs, eggs in a basket, French toast. Malay/Malaysian dishes I hancur.

I have to say, emotionally, my second week went much better than my first. I guess it's mainly because I finally opened up to my parents about how I feel about this one thing that has been bothering me.

I've got a shit ton of essays to write, so many deadlines to meet. I can't wait for summer. I can't wait to go home to my cats. I'm working on my Sydney photos so it's gonna be awhile til I actually put up a Sydney Photo Diary.

Also, one of my tutors is really hot. 'Til then!
Update on my handsome tutor: I finally figured out who he reminds me of! My tutor reminds me of Dave Freakin Franco!!! DUDE I MEAN IT COULD BE JUST ME BUT HE LOOKS A BIT LIKE DAVE FRANCO.

Florist in Melbourne

So I got to Melbourne last Monday. Went to my campus after dropping our things at my cousins'
apartment in the CBD - which is at the most prime location, I must say. Wish I lived in the city. When we got to my campus, it was so cold and windy. My legs were shivering as I was walking. My campus is huge, guys. HUGE. I'll talk about it and the rest of Melbourne in another post. Now, this weekend... My parents booked tickets to Sydney on Friday afternoon for that night. I guess you could say it was a 'spontaneous' birthday weekend getaway.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Town Hall, Sydney

I turned 20 on Saturday. It feels weird to not use the word '-teen' anymore. I'm old, man. Anyway, Sydney's great. I can't decide if I wanna do a vlog or just a photo diary here. I've got some clips of the places I went to but I don't know if it would be enough for a vlog. Help me decide please?

ALSO OH MY GOD I SAW JACKIE CHAN. So I got to Sydney at 10pm. Checked into our hotel. Dad & I went on a walk to Mrs. Macquarie Chair to take pictures. It was almost 11pm when we got to that area. I noticed a lot of trailers and people in bright vests. And the first thing I said to my dad was "Ni mesti ada shooting ni. As in movie shooting" (I bet they're filming a movie here). Then, the guard told us "I'm sorry, you can't get through. They're filming a movie. Jackie Chan just walked by....." I couldn't hear the rest but my jaw dropped. The guy was so sweet and friendly - everyone here is! So he told us to take a different route and we did. We saw the set and JACKIE FREAKIN CHAN. They were filming Bleeding Steel. If you guys watch the movie when it comes out and you see a scene at a fair, just know that I was there!! Lurking around behind the bushes, I was there!!

I actually don't wanna open up about Melbourne yet. I mean, I love the city so much. But I've been having a hard time adjusting here. I'm already feeling so homesick right now and my parents haven't even left for Malaysia yet. I can't imagine how I'd feel once they go back. I'll get around to sharing pictures/experiences of Melbourne once I settle down.

'Til then!

Hi!! So I don't know if you've read my previous post about what's going on right now. But if you haven't read it, I am flying off to Melbourne soon. I will most likely be in Melbourne by the time this post goes up.

I thought of making a 'log' of the days up until I actually leave for Melbourne, what I've been doing to prepare for life abroad and how I've been feeling about it etc. I think I'll make this into a series! Mana tahu, boleh tolong orang or people on the same boat won't feel so alone.

19th July 2016

I went to uni today to get my student visa done. I was a wreck. I was so anxious and all over the place (gelabah) because I had so little time to get everything done. Here's the thing, I received my conditional offer and sent my acceptance letters back in May. Didn't hear back from my uni aside from receiving the auto-reply after emailing the acceptance letters to them (i.e. "We have received your email. Please do not reply to this email as this account is not monitored.") We planned to leave for Melb at the end of June/early July. But I needed a confirmation of enrolment (COE) from my uni to apply for a student visa. 2 weeks after submitting the letters, I still have yet to receive a COE. Was then told that I needed to wait til my results were released - 10th July - in order for them to issue the COE.

When results were out, they then decided to tell me that the insurance provider my parents chose for me isn't compatible or whatever. That got me so annoyed because they had TWO MONTHS to tell me that but chose to do so 2 weeks before the last date to enrol. TWO WHOLE MONTHS OF SILENCE. I'm sorry for cussing but what the fuck bro. Of course, my parents were upset. And that's how I got here today - anxious and worried that things might not be done in time.

Also, that evening, I came home to my Sephora order! After years of hoping and praying, Kat Von D is finally available in Malaysia!! I got one of the Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks. Guess the shade! It's a cult favourite ;) I also got a Sleek blush in Pomegranate not because I wanted it but because I needed to spend a certain amount to use my birthday discount HAHA. Girl logic!

20th July 2016

I left the house at 8am today and made my way to Bangsar South... alone. I wasn't familiar with the roads in that area so I was a little worried I might get lost. Got a chest X-ray, urine test (my first ever. I was so grossed out lol) and a physical examination. I bumped into an old friend from school who was there for a UK Visa checkup.

The entire checkup took about 2 hours? The place was nice. The people were friendly, spoke way too fast but friendly!

Went to Subang Parade right after to get more essentials. Went home and continued packing. How does one pack their life into 2/3 suitcases?

21st July 2016

Another day of refreshing my immi account to see if my Visa was granted. Ran errands. I think the only thing I have been doing the past 2 weeks is running errands! Anyway, I then went on a not-so-mini shopping spree at One Utama. Got quite a lot of stuff... Hey, they're all for Melbourne ok!

22nd July 2016

The last thing that I needed to do before I leave for Melbourne is to cancel my loan. As I was getting ready, I got an email....saying my student visa has been approved!! Despite my visa grant, it still hasn't hit me that I'm not going to be around familiar faces and places for a really long time. How am I going to survive?!

Anyway, I went to Menara MRCB in Shah Alam and dude, the parking structure was so dark. It made me so paranoid. I had to constantly look behind to see if anyone was following me. PLUS, their machines you pay your parking tickets were so difficult to find. I had to walk to the mall next to it to pay the parking!!

Went home and continued packing. Took me ages! It's 1am right now and I am 80% done with packing! All that's left are my PJs!

I am so nervous. I am so excited to be back in Melbourne but so nervous. I am not mentally or emotionally prepared yet for this.

SO YOU KNOW HOW I'VE BEEN SAYING THAT SOMETHING BIG IS COMING UP IN MY LIFE IN MY PREVIOUS POSTS? I've been DYING to share it with the entire world but I didn't wanna jinx it. You probably won't find it anymore because I deleted it after I sat for this one shit paper that I was so so sure I was going to fail

but guess what!!!

I DIDN'T FAIL. I FAILED NOTHING. My results aren't as good as I was hoping for, especially my Business Law. Dude I was hoping to get at least a D (Distinction) but... And the paper that I thought I was going to fail, I did okay!!

I applied for early release of my exam results but I never told my parents because I thought if I found out earlier than when they thought results would be released, it would give me enough time to come up with a way to tell them about it if it did turn out to be bad. But the second I got the email and saw no fail, I screamed!!

ALHAMDULILLAH I AM GOING TO MELBOURNE

I AM SO HAPPY OK BYE

SO I DID A VIDEO HAHAHA If only you knew how awkward it was for me to film this... I was debating whether to do a talk thru or just mute all the footage and add music. Obviously, I chose the latter. I just felt so uncomfortable talking to the camera but I did it!!
Anyway, that makeup look is what I wear most of the time. I never wear foundation on a regular basis because it feels heavy and gross especially in a hot, humid country like Malaysia. I only opt for foundation on the weekends or any special occasions.
It may seem a lot or a little to some people, but this is what I'm comfortable with. For me, the most important thing is to conceal my dark circles. I'm not too bothered by my scars or any other blemishes. Just my panda eyes!! Hate it!!
I have 2 more video ideas. One of them requires a few 'props' which I don't know how to get my hands on... because the shipping is expensive.... I don't have that kind of money.... Meh, I'll figure something out soon.
'Til then!

(Photos are not mine)

Ya know how I sometimes do non-beauty favourites? I think I might call it Yaya Recommends. That name is literally the first thing I could think of. I kinda like it. I guess this would consist of movies, TV shows (duh) & possibly restaurants? I'm just going with the flow here.

I actually loved this movie! I thought the title was a tad bit corny but I thought it was really good. It has Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson and many others whom I have no idea what their names are. It's literally about how to be single. I'm trying to find a way here... to summarize what it's about without spoiling the movie but I find it rather difficult. I can say that I wanted Alice (Dakota Johnson) to be with Tom in the end. Does that help? LOL here's the trailer!

2. The Intern

I've been wanting to watch this ever since it came out. I loveeee Anne Hathaway! This was adorable to watch! This probably sounds gross but I thought it was gonna be about Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro's character falling for each other... I thought it was gonna be a 'light' movie but it has way more drama than I thought it would. I loved this! Pleaseee watch it! You can check out the trailer here if you'd like.

3. Mother's Day

This pleasantly surprised me because I thought it was gonna be as cheesy as Valentine's Day or New Year's Eve. I didn't like those. Thought it was all over the place! But this... this is so funny! I reaaally didn't expect to like this. It was so good! Trailer here.

4. Gilmore Girls

Jared Padalecki and Milo Ventimiglia ugh!!! So handsome!!

I started watching Gilmore Girls because a) I was in the mood to watch an old series - it was between this, The OC or One Tree Hill b) I knew my mum loved this show so I thought I'd give it a go! I am addicted!! I thought I liked Rory and Dean together until Jess came into the picture. Why do the jerks win the good girls??!! I feel bad for Dean but omg I am obsessed with Jess!! I am only at season 3, so yes... I have a lot more to watch. I have a feeling Jess and Rory won't last. They have that certain spark/chemistry between them. I freakin love it!!

5. Frank Sinatra's songs

I've been listening to a couple of his songs lately - The Way You Look Tonight and My Way. Click here and here to listen! Loveee the vibe it gives!

6. Soulwax's remix of Tame Impala's Let It Happen

This remix is SO long, it's actually ridiculous!! It has this groovy vibe to it; I can't help but to dance along when I listen to this song! Song here!