Japan Part 1 | Japan Part 2 | Japan Part 3 | Japan Part 4We landed in Narita Airport and my first stop was the tourist information centre where we picked up train maps, a tourist map, and a tourist guide book. The night before I researched the available day passes for Tokyo railways, and decided to get the Tokyo Metro Open ticket, since our hostel was on one of the lines and the Tokyo metro also operated most of the lines to the places we wanted to go to, and they had mo ...
Japan Pt 4 – Sapporo with Muhsin :D
Japan Part 1Japan Part 2Japan Part 3After arriving at Sapporo New Chitose Airport we took the train out to Sapporo where we planned to meet Muhsin. The station was huge but thankfully Muhsin was there at the gates to meet us. It's been three months almost, since we last saw him! Peluk tanak lepas >.< We dropped off our bags at Muhsin's hostel, a 10 minute walk away, and after a quick onigiri lunch, we headed back to Sapporo station to go to Otaru. We bought the Sapporo-Otaru welcome pass, which was Y1500 and came with a one day subway pas ...
Japan Pt3 – Kyoto Day 3: Arashiyama, friends, and stranded
Japan Part 1Japan Part 2For day 3 we were undecided whether to leave Kyoto for Osaka earlier or just have the whole day in Kyoto. We had to go to Osaka to get to the airport for our early flight the next morning, but we didn't really know what to do in Osaka besides the aquarium and Universal studios, both of which were expensive, so we decided to just take it easy and spend the day in Kyoto.ArashiyamaOur bus route headed towards Arashiyama was apparently an old folks route, since our bus was full of cute old grannies and grandpas getting out and ...
Japan Pt2 – Kyoto day 2: Palaces, Castles, and Geishas
*warning - this is gonna be quite a looong post with lots of pics. You can read Part 1 here*Kyoto Imperial PalaceDay two started off with a guided walking tour of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, which was free but needed advanced reservations and approval from the Kyoto Imperial Household Agency. Our tour started at 10am, so we decided to head out a bit earlier and have breakfast at the Imperial Palace Gardens. The outer compound was huge, and it took us quite a while to walk up to the entrance gates. The tour was conducted in English, and it brought ...
Japan Pt1 – Travel and Kyoto Day 1
After a whole lot of planning (which I still felt was not enough, but I didn't have time or much help) the day finally arrived: Osaka-Kyoto-Sapporo-Tokyo roadtrip commence! :D Our flight to Kansai International Airport, Osaka, was at 3 pm so we decided to leave the house at around 11.45. I thought that was ample time buuuuut we must've missed a turn somewhere and I had never taken the NKVE to LCCT before. In the end we arrived just in time to drop off our baggage and clear the security check. Thank God we checked in online earlier hehe. Kansai I ...
Car-karaoke + scatterbrained kinda day
Today while driving ABBA’s Chiquitita came on and i started singing along but ended up almost crying. like seriously. I think its such a touching song. And singing along to ABBA is always, always fun. then otw back i had a very scary panic attack because i couldnt find my parked car even though i was sure i parked right by the exit. walked around and around frantically for almost 15 minutes and was almost in tears when i decided to re-enter the building and try to calm down and gather my thoughts and trace my steps and it turns out i wa ...
So this happened sometime last year
Around Ramadhan last year one of my old lecturers asked if I was interested in writing a piece for a magazine. He didn't give me much detail or direction, so I wasn't really sure what to write and how. But I typed away and emailed him the draft and forgot about it. A few months later, people started telling me they saw my piece in Architecture Malaysia magazine. I was gobsmacked. I didn't actually think they'd publish it, because I didn't really get any feedback on my draft. Anywho, I only recently got my hands on a copy during Archidex'13. Tried ...
Butterfly week
The Holidays have started and I intend to make the most of them. This week has been filled with activities, going out and socializing and meeting people and going places and doing things. not my average week, but definitely enjoyable :D4-7 June - Pulau Perhentian Kecilmore pics below :) most perhentian pics from rahsia studio and phyA lot of uncertainty building up to the trip but boy was everything worth it. From ramai jadi sikit until I was the only girl then nego2 til there were 5 girls on board. I didn't know what to expect from Perhentian, o ...
Family/Friends
My sister getting married last September made me realize that I was always part of a Force, it was always me and my sis, the Hamzah sisters, part of the Hamzah Family. Of course her getting married kind of changed that and now I'm just lonely me.In our school, a lot of our friends were those kinds as well, a Family Force. There were the Khatibs, the Preeces, the Joneses, the Radwans, the Soualhis, the Sanos, the Ismaiels, the Manafs, the Khans, the Abullais', the Shafiqs, the Tauseefs, the Ashours, the Elkhaldis, the Ghassans, etc.And now we're a ...
Food – A love/hate relationship
If you know me personally you know I'm what some would call 'skinny'. I'm around 5'2" with a slight frame and I currently weigh 43 kg. I am definitely underweight and I know it. Not that I like being so light and wispy. A few months ago I'd been going on a steady 45kg, I was at that weight for more than 5 years with very little ups and downs. The heaviest I've ever ever been was 47kg in my third year, when we went for heritage studies.It's not like I don't try to gain weight, I really have tried. but the pounds don't seem to stick. A few months a ...
Beginning of the end
*brushes aside cobwebs and dust*I suddenly feel like blogging again. I probably won't but it's just a feeling. It's the final stretch of my Final Semester of my Final year in B. Arch, 3 more weeks till I have to submit my design thesis. I'm nowhere near done and I don't know if I will be come the 16th of May. In all honesty I should be working on it now but today has not been a good day.I woke up late because last night I was up till quite late, trying to get a chapter written, and then my friend pinged me on gtalk and we talked about River and t ...
My big Australian adventure
Its been more than a while since i last wrote in this dusty old blog, but this was worth breaking my silent spell for. Australia was the absolute best. I want to move there.
Heart/beat
Every heart beat sends a million knives through my veinsEvery thought sends a sharp stab through my heartEvery vision releases a waterfall of tearsEvery wordEveryBeautifulWordKills mewords_by_retrodiva3
Embarkation
So the second semester of my B.Arch started today...and from the looks of it its going to be more packed than the last semester.Last semester's exam results came out. the semester I felt that there was a real possibility that I'd fail every single subject. It's always worst right before the exams. But after sitting for them, they didn't seem that bad. And Alhamdulillah, berkat doa atok, kawan2, parents, I managed to pass with quite good marks.This sem though, honestly, I'm scared.I messed up a lot of things last semester. I screwed things up. I w ...
Reflections, Pt 3
This Old Routine - First Aid KitGo placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.Enjoy your achievements as well as you ...
Finding Peace
I was listening to the radio one day during a rather funny incident (a story for another time) and they were interviewing Nora. She was talking about her...transformation? and journey to becoming a better Muslim. And something she said struck me. It was something like,"Orang selalu fikir, kalau ber-hijab susah nak cari makan sebagai artis etc2, tapi kita kena ingat, rezeki tu bukan datang dari manusia. Rezeki tu dari Allah. Dan kalau rezeki tu Allah dah tentukan kita yang punya, tak kisah lah jauh mana pun rezeki tu, akan sampai jugak kat kita. ...
Bisous
Got a message this morning from Lily who I met in 2010 while she was on holiday in Malaysia. She is a lively Parisian who has been travelling all around the world on her own, making friends along the way. We don't talk often at all, but every so often she would drop me messages and they are really the sweetest things. She sent me a postcard once, out of the blue, from when she was in Bali. and every 'Eid, new year (Islamic and Gregorian) she would email me wishing me and my family all the best and hoping that our paths will cross again. ...
Holiday to do list
Ok I'm procrastinating again. My exams are not over yet but I already have a list of thing I want to/have to do this holiday :D I have a month. I'm sure i'm being over ambitious, but here it is, in no particular order:Sew something! because i'm a total absolute noob, probably something simple. like a handkerchief. haha. ok maybe a pouch/purse thing.Continue to work on my knitting/crocheting - even out the stitches, edges, and make something instead of just incomplete pocket squares which turn out looking like triangles.Write more - here ...