i beg to differ...

Do you agree or disagree with the message in the picture above? ;)

I bet most of you are familiar with the picture above. Let me guess... You've seen it from your facebook newsfeed shared by your friends or acquaintances, right? Or you might be one of them who had shared it?  Oh-ho! No offense, peeps. The first time I saw this picture, I didn't give it much thoughts. Was being oblivious to it back then. However, when I kept seeing this post on facebook, I began to spare a thought for the message in this picture. This picture is depicting that the big supermarket owners do not need your money as much as the fruit sellers on the street. How true is this notion?

It may be true in certain cases but not all. To me, this picture is spreading a generalized notion. And generalization is usually unfair. 

Back in my hometown, my neighbour is a fruit seller at the market - and he is not as pathetic as depicted on the picture above. He can afford to buy a car without government loan (unlike my parents who needed it) and his income exceeded RM3000 permonth. Yes, I am aware that he can afford to live this way because a lot of people buy from his stall. Hence, another reason that this picture is not needed - consumers need not have picture like this to tell them where they should shop for their groceries. If you sell something of quality, I do not think the consumers would prefer to buy second class quality from the supermarket with just a few ringgits or cents difference over your goods. I know I am using only one example but if you have a background check on the fruit sellers around, you might be surprised to find out the actual amount of money they earned. Oh, and don't get me wrong... I am not asking you guys to boycott the street sellers in reverse -  I am just pointing out that the message in this picture is unfair and generalized. 

"Hey, we need income too!" -->  the voices of the supermarket workers were silenced in the previous message picture.

 

Let's put it this way. If you want to boycott the big supermarket just because you want to channel your money as 'charity' to the needy as reckoned in the first picture above, you are being ignorant too because your act of charity may defeat its own purpose. Just so you know, the big supermarkets are the sources of incomes for the supermarkets' workers. These workers, I can assure you they are the neediest of all. Most of them do not own a farm, orchard, garden or even a backyard to plant the fruits and veggies like most of the fruit sellers do. They depend wholly on the supermarket to earn a living. So, just imagine... what will the future holds for them if you start boycotting the supermarket to help the street sellers? They could be sacked to save the company's budget! They will have to find a new job, or left on the streets - but without fruits and veggies to sell!

And another thing - what's up with the statement 'they spend their money on cars and trips abroad?' Sounds like an overstatement to me. Have it ever occur to you (this question is for the person who came up with the message) that the trips abroad are for business purposes, and not just merely for luxurious lifestyle? Well, I know, the rich and famous always spend a lot of money, but isn't it better that way than for them to keep that money to themselves and stop the cycle of money? Oh I know this previous statement is irrelevant to the issue at hand but.. Okay. Another question: What makes you think that these supermarket owners do not donate or contribute to any charitable organization? I do not deny the possibility of these people to spend their money unwisely, but not each and everyone of the rich businessman are like that. The thing is... I want to point out the generalized notion in the message of this first picture. The message in this picture is just too shallow for me to follow.

And most importantly, we are free to choose where our money goes. It's consumer's democracy no?

Topeng Rambut Avocado Buatan Sendiri :Sesi DIY bersama Mad Maureen

"Avocado tak ada nama Melayu eh?"

Itulah pertanyaan pertama aku semasa menulis blog ini.

UPDATED: Sebenarnya, avocado ada nama Melayu --> Alpukat. Baru nak ingat nak guna google translate (-_-"). Tapi kurang glamour so kita tetap dengan penggunaan avocado dalam blog post ini. Sekian. 

Belakangan ini, masalah rambut aku semakin kritikal. Jika dulu, aku dapat menyelesaikan masalah rambut aku dengan hanya mencuci rambut menggunakan syampu biasa  dan selepas itu, voila, rambut menjadi lembut dan bersinar, kini tidak lagi semudah itu. Sebaliknya, kondisi rambut aku menjadi semakin teruk selepas pencucian. Aneh tetapi benar.

Kondisi rambut aku belakangan ini: Rambut sentiasa gugur, kalau tak pun patah. Kering. Hujung rambut bercabang (bukan bercabang dua je, bercabang tiga, empat pun ada!). Kulit kepala pula penuh dengan kelemumur. Ini yang bikin stress ni!

Untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini, jika berpandukan mentaliti aku sebelum ini - daripada aku menyelesaikan masalah rambut ini sendiri, aku hendak serahkan kerja penyelesaian masalah rambut ini kepada pakar rambut di salun. "Serahkan pada yang pakar." Begitulah slogan iklan Harpic yang begitu mempengaruhi mentaliti aku.

Iklan Harpic yang epic tu, masih ingat ke? Selalu kat tv time kita kecik-kecik dulu.

 Oleh itu, aku nekad untuk melawat salun rambut seberang rumah selepas aku habis exam. Nekad la katakan. Siap janji dengan kawan lagi dan membayangkan kepala kitorang sama-sama diurut oleh pekerja di situ. Aku mula nak kira-kira bajet; biasanya kalau kat salun hometown aku, harga nak buat rawatan kulit kepala tu biasanya dalam kira-kira RM30 - RM60.  Kalau kat Penang ni, tak pasti lah. Masa tu, aku dah memang nekad untuk membuat rawatan rambut di salun.

Tapi... syukurlah aku  fikir dua kali. 

Hendak dijadikan cerita, pada malam selepas exam tu, aku pun melayari youtube. Dah tak busy la katakan.

 Terdetik hati untuk mengeyoutube video berkaitan dengan penjagaan rambut. 

"Hmm, aku dah free ni, aku tak payah bergantung sangat dengan pekerja salun untuk menjaga rambut aku Biar aku cari sendiri penyelesaiannya." Begitulah monolog dalaman aku ketika sibuk mencari tips penjagaan rambut melalui youtube. Biarlah aku sendiri cari iktiar dulu. Takkan nak tunggu rambut tinggal sehelai dua helai kat kepala baru nak beriktiar kan? 

Cari punya cari, akhirnya aku terjumpa channel ni kat youtube.

Bubzbeauty

(your answer to your hair problem is just one click away wee hooo~!) 

Ada banyak tips dari para youtuber yang lain tapi aku pilih cara Bubzbeauty sebab cara yang dia ajar tu senang, jelas dan bahan-bahannya asian-friendly (maksudnya boleh didapati di negara-negara Asia) berbanding dengan beberapa tips youtubers dari Barat. 

Okay. Panjangnya aku bercerita. Long story short, aku pun ikuti tips dia dengan versi aku sendiri di bawah. Jika komputer anda tidak dapat log on to youtube (ahem!) dan jika anda punya line slow nak buffer youtube channel tu, jangan risau. Aku ada menyediakan langkah-langkah yang diajar oleh Bubzbeauty tapi versi Mad Maureen untuk anda!

Pertama, anda kena sediakan bahan-bahan ni semua. Tiga bahan je.Tak banyak. Buah avocado, telur dan minyak zaitun (olive oil).

Telur ayam, minyak zaitun (jenama apa tak kisahlah), dan yang penting sekali, avocado.

1) Avocado. Yang penting, avocado ada. Nak tau khasiat avocado dengan lebih mendalam, sila layari laman web ini. Ha... Bercakap tentang avocado, anda kena pandai memilih buah ini. Anda kena pilih avocado yang benar-benar masak... Kalau tak, anda terpaksa guna lesung batu untuk menumbuk avocado tu sehingga hancur. Merana tau. Avocado yang masak akan berwarna seperti ini.

contoh warna buah avocado yang sudah masak

 

Anda boleh terus gunakan garpu untuk menghancurkan isi avocado tersebut (jika avocado yang anda pilih betul-betul masak). Macam mana nak pilih avocado yang benar-benar masak? Ha... Macam ni. First, anda tengok warna kulit avocado tu. Kalau hijau gila, maksudnya masih muda la tu. Kalau ada warna perang (brown) sikit-sikit, ha... mungkin masaklah tu. Untuk lebih meyakinkan diri anda, cuba anda tekan avocado tu sikit. (Amaran: Jangan tekan sampai penyek). Kalau kulitnya tak keras, masak lettew. Harga avocado yang ada di Tesco ialah RM4.99 buat masa ini. Kiranya, masih lagi lebih murah berbanding rawatan rambut di salun. Lagipun untuk satu hair mask, anda hanya perlukan separuh avocado. Jadi separuh lagi boleh digunakan untuk bad hair day yang akan datang. Berbaloi kan.

2) Kuning telur. Kuning telur ni dapat membaiki cabang rambut selain mengilatkan rambut. Kuning telur kaya dengan protein dan dapat membaiki rambut anda yang rosak. Untuk keterangan lanjut tentang khasiat kuning telur (dalam bahasa Inggeris), anda boleh rujuk laman web ini -->  http://www.dailyglow.com/articles/43/hair-care-through-egg.html

Kuning telur. Telur ini dibeli dari Tesco dengan harga yang murah. Dalam RM6 je untuk satu set 36 biji, peeps!

3) Minyak zaitun (Olive oil) Minyak zaitun ni, seperti kuning telur, dapat mengilatkan rambut. Selain itu, ia baik untuk menghindarkan kutu rambut, kelemumur dan juga rambut gugur. Untuk keterangan yang lebih terperinci tentang khasiat minyak zaitun, sila klik laman web ini. http://www.iheartoliveoil.com/about-olive-oil/olive-oil-for-skin-body-hair

Minyak zaitun yang dibeli dari Kedai Maju Jaya setahun yang lalu. Sekian.

Setelah menyediakan ketiga-tiga bahan ini, marilah kita mulakan aktiviti menyediakan bahan untuk topeng rambut avocado weee hoo! Okay, mula-mula buah avocado yang dibeli itu dibelah dua dengan menggunakan pisau.

Ambil salah satu bahagian daripada buah avocado yang dibelah tersebut, dan bahagian yang satu lagi dibiarkan untuk kegunaan masa akan datang. Gunakan sudu untuk keluarkan isi avocado tersebut. Biji avocado yang besar tu buang tepi ya. Jangan nak campurkan bersama.

Setelah mengeluarkan semua isi avocado tu dan letak dalam mangkuk, next step, gunakan garpu untuk menghancurkan isi avocado tersebut. Penyekkan dan hancurkan sehingga semua isi halus dengan sekata.

Jika avocado cukup masak, memang senang untuk menghaluskannya menggunakan garpu. Kalau tidak, terpaksa gunakan lesung batu. (-_-")

Apabila sudah cukup halus, masukkan kuning telur ke dalam mangkuk berisi avocado tersebut dan kacau dengan sekata. Apabila dah sekata, masukkan dua sudu besar minyak zaitun ke dalam ramuan tersebut. Campurkan dan kacau sehingga sekata.

Masukkan kira-kira dua sudu besar minyak zaitun.

Begitulah sahaja caranya untuk menyediakan topeng rambut @ hair mask ini. Senang kan? Yang penting, anda kenalah sabar. Lepas tu, semasa membubuh ramuan tersebut pada rambut, jangan lupa sediakan tuala dan plastik ya. Aku telah menggunakan plastik biasa untuk menutup rambut setelah selesai menyadurkan topeng rambut avocado ini.

 Biarkan selama sekurang-kurangnya setengah jam atau berjam-jam. Lagi lama lagi bagus. Kalau dapat, biarkan semalaman. Tidur terus dengan topeng dan plastik pada rambut anda.

Jadi, kesimpulan di sini ialah, jangan serahkan semua kerja kepada pakar jika anda masih mampu melakukannya sendiri. Dengan usaha mengeyoutube, menggoogle, menyopping, dan membuatnya sendiri, anda dapat menjimatkan masa selain menambahkan pengetahuan. Lagipun bahan-bahan ni lebih organik dan lebih sihat. Jika anda pergi salun, anda ingat, sekali je dah cukup? Kena follow-up segala dan dengar pekerja salun bercerita tentang kebaikan produknya dan sehingga anda membeli produk itu, mereka takkan diam. Hah! Kalau anda tak nak lalui itu semua, apa lagi, cubalah tips ini sendiri! :D

Ingatlah bahawa kecantikan bermula dengan kesihatan. Jika anda sihat, anda bukan sahaja akan cantik dari segi luaran tetapi kesihatan yang membawa kepada kepositifan akan mencantikkan anda secara dalaman juga. Do try this at home (or hostel!) :D

Pemerhatian: Walaupun rambut aku tak berubah 180 darjah selepas menggunakan topeng rambut ini, namun kelemumur aku dah berkurangan secara drastik. Rambut lebih lembap sedikit berbanding dulu. Itu baru cuba tiga kali. Kalau dah dijadikan habit, moga-moga rambut akan jadi semakin sihat dan berkilat. Selain daripada topeng rambut, anda kerapkanlah memakan makanan berkhasiat untuk rambut seperti lobak merah, kacang, ikan (ikan salmon terutamanya) dan minum susu dengan kerap untuk menguatkan lagi struktur rambut anda. Sekian.


Nota tambahan: Hari ini, aku pertama kali melawat blog Joshua. Anda yang lain bolehlah melawat blog beliau. Cekidaut!

Mixed Emotions - The Aftermath

You know that feeling after you finished your last exam paper but you were clueless about what you felt? Ironic question, ain't it? How could you know that feeling when you were clueless about what you felt, right? Gosh, I am being nonsensical here. (No, I did not suffer from Wernicke's aphasia. But on second thought,  from what I've read, Wernicke's aphasic patient would not realize of his or her own disability, so I could never know right? Gosh, what am I saying, touch wood!)

Now I am feeling a little so damn funny. Apparently, all the things that I'd planned to do before exam seemed not that appealing to me now compared to before. Shit. Hate that feeling. I guess once I've finished my exam, I set the 'entertainment bar' higher than before. Any simple entertainment which could satisfy me before exam - easily bore me now. I guess right now I need something really interesting just to fulfill this lust for entertainment. Ah, all that psychological nonsense!

On another note, I had this realization that I didn't really have that 'YES' feeling when I finished my exam this morning. Maybe it was because I was aware that I wasn't doing really well for my exam today - hence the tinge of uneasiness in me.

But ah...! Let bygones be bygones...! No use crying over spilled milk. Now all I can do is pray for empathy from the kind lecturer not to condemn every single funny answer that I wrote. And oh, do you know how I hate writing during exam? How I wish the exam was conducted using the computer and required us typing instead of writing. Writing is tiresome. I pity those juniors who have to sit for more than two papers. Do some fingers stretching before sitting for exam, y'all!

Okay, so what's next for me? At the moment, I am just hoping that my result will be good so that I can go on with dissertation for the coming semester. And oh, I won't go back during the semester break. :( Have to save on budget. Missyouallathome really...! 

Ps random: I didn't troll the McD cashier this afternoon when buying the McNuggets. *sigh* What a waste...

Memberku Hawa - A Malaysian Series on Feminism

 Interframe: I was supposed to find a suitable topic for my literature assignment but  my efforts were to no avail - so I ended up here *sigh*

MEMBERKU HAWA

 Kay (Nad Zainal) and Hawa (Faezah Elai)

 Anybody watched the not-so-new series on TV3 - Memberku Hawa?

I am now an avid fan of this series. This series is something that women around Malaysia can relate to - it's somewhat like a fiction version of 3R.

First time I knew about this series was through Hanis Zalikha's tweet - so I wanted to check it out just to watch Hanis on TV. I wanted to see her act so there I went, hovering in front of the TV on a Sunday night. The first episode, there was no Hanis, but I continued to watch it because I was charmed by one of the main characters - Kay - who was played by Nad Zainal - and her acting was really good! Natural! (unlike the acting of the actors and actresses in the overrated Malaysian series Vanilla Coklat *yawn*)  The dialogues were funny and witty. And there was Hawa, the other main character, played by Faezah Elai. This character reminds me of my own bestie - Hawa, and yeah, even some of the characteristics - such as independent, outgoing, and doing things as good as men resembles my bestie's attitude. ;)

And oh, not only that - there are hotties alert too! 

 Err, not this picture. This is Hawa disguising herself as a man - with the name Adam, but this picture below!

 Sharnaaz Ahmad (left) and Dazrin Kamarudin (centre) in the picture above.

Well, girls, feast your eyes on Sharnaaz Ahmad (who happens to be Shila Amzah's boyfriend in real life) and also Dazrin Kamarudin (whose status I am not sure of) - they are both the characters who appeared in Hawa's working place. Sharnaaz plays the character of Hawa's boss in this series and he's a self-made successful businessman. And Dazrin stars as Sharnaaz's best buddy here (his identity was not really clarified as he only appeared twice in the last six series).

And not to forget Hanis - the reason I started watching this series. She's really good in portraying Tish - a snobbish model whom Kay had issue with at her workplace. 

Actually I should've known from the title of this series - Memberku Hawa - that it hints the element of feminism in it. The name Hawa itself represents women, as in kaum Hawa - a Malay term which is usually used to refer to women. 

The issues faced by women in Malaysia was portrayed by a scene where Hawa, who came for her job interview as an engineer, was rejected by her boss (Sharnaaz) at first just because she's a woman and these people somewhat have some prejudice against female engineer. She had to prove herself and fight for the spot to work in the company by performing a task which was a actually challenge from her boss. And voila, of course she made it, if not Sharnaaz would not become her boss. 

Even when she was accepted in the company and already started working, Hawa faced another problem because one of her clients would not accept a female engineer to service the computer at his company. To tackle this problem, Hawa disguised herself as man (Adam, ah what a surprise she chose this name! *rolls eyes*) when going to the company.

For Kay, her problem will be with another woman (like what my lecturer said, women oppressing women) where Tish (played by Hanis) who could not let her work in peace and always find fault with her.

So if you're a feminist, you would like this story. It's a light chic-lit, something for you to laugh and somewhat think over too. 

Don't forget to watch it on TV3, 10.30 pm, every Sunday! 

Today I feel like throwing everything away~

Cause it could be liberating! Especially today - to signify the first time in the semester where I feel that I am not tied up by assignments - albeit there's one more assignment to go - which will due on 5th June but let's just ignore it for now.

But I just can't. Throwing things is not in my nature. Even deleting old messages or e-mail needed a long contemplating from me. Yeah call me weird. On second thought, no, please don't call me weird. This is just me for being a hoarder. Or a compulsive one - I might add.

I do not know how many notifications or messages are spamming my yahoo inbox right now but the good thing is that they kept my e-mail active. Right now I am deleting some songs from my Blackberry to make space for new songs that I just downloaded yesterday. It's an improvement, I know. I even initiated to delete some of the old pictures from it - especially some random photos that I took just to post them up in Twitter - which was also the reason why I dared to delete them cause I know I can always have them back in Twitter account *winks*.

But really - I wonder how many people out there have the same issue like I do - reluctance to throw their things away. I guess I made a mistake of putting sentimental value on almost everything I own. Like, if I buy a red pen, instead of being just a red pen, I described it as 'first red pen that I bought for the semester in Tesco'. I gave my things identity - which made them harder to let go. Sad and freakish right? I even kept my receipts instead of throwing them away with the 'good reason' of using them to calculate my weekly spending - which I barely do - thanks to the accumulating assignments that I had.

But today - I just want to try throwing some things away. My things. Any useless thing which used to be important to me. Just to have that feeling of letting go. And to give space to new things that I may need and more practical for my life right now.

The question is, which thing is it?

Hoarder in dilemma,

yours truly.