Little Things 49 : Television

I hardly watch TV. I can't remember when was the last time I really watch it. I did watch TV for 5 minutes last week when my colleague was aired for a slot in a program. That was it. 

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When I was out-stationed to Kuantan, I stayed in a hotel. Usually the first thing I do when entering a room are give salam and turn-on the TV. Just to leave the creepy silence. But that one time, the hotel room was equipped with a new flat-screen TV installed to the wall. I was a bit jakun and said "Wow, this is fancy". So I tried to turn it on, I searched for the button, but I couldn't find any. I was literally standing up on the bed and searched for any button, but failed. I tried to find the remote control but I failed too. 

I have no idea on how to turn on a TV ! So, to let it pass, I turned on my laptop and watched 'How I Met Your Mother', *so I can laugh and ignore any creepy feelings. How come someone from Gen-Y didn't know how to turn on a flat-screen TV? 

To make it sound worse, we got 2 flat-screen TVs with Astro in my apartment, that I hardly ever watch. I remember when was the last time I actually turn it on, the day I was staying there alone about 5 months back, when my brother came visiting. Why I can remember it? Because my brother actually asked me what I was doing? 

When all I did was turn on the TV. 

So that concludes my relationship with the television.

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I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book - Groucho Marx  

Little Things 48 : Believe

It's becoming a habit, waking up so early in the morning. I stared at bunk bed above me, I felt lost, and I thought, "What happened?". Those several minutes of mild sleepiness and exhaustion, I tried to recall my dream but most of the time I failed. 

I questioned things that matter to me the most at that time, and I reasoned to that. I felt closer to myself during this particular moment than all my accumulated waking time. Sometimes people forget themselves among other people. Sometimes they don't bother anymore.

When you feel lost, believe me, there is a strong force wrapping your heart. It shines when needed, when you ask for it. And it will always be there. It took me awhile to notice it. And it took me awhile to listen. 

You don't have to act like you are belonged somewhere, you just have to believe and you will see.

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Writing : 750words - 2

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Does 750words a day improve my writing?

I've participated in 20 daily pages.

I've completed 17 daily pages.

I've written 14,432 words in 26 days.

Maybe my writing is still the same. But I learned about myself more than I usually do. When I need to write 3 pages long daily, I had to put extra efforts in thinking of ideas. I had to ask myself daily, somehow it pushes me towards my subconscious mind : things that I don't have time to think about, things that I thought did not matter, things that worry me, or make me happy.

And days after, when I read it back, it was like stories that had been told by someone else. I never knew how deep I went into to write those things I wrote. 

So, by writing daily, I learned about more about myself.

I guess people can use it for self-theraphy.

Previous Post : 750words

Place : Morocco Pavilion

I love finding new places to explore.

This was taken at Morocco Pavilion , Botanical Garden, Putrajaya quite a while ago. I've been to Botanical Garden many years before but I never knew the existence of such place. 

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Back then when I was young and just finished high school, with my big optimistic mind, I applied for a scholarship in architecture. But I never got any reply back from them, leaving the little dream behind, like any other things that didn't happened.

But I am still very much interested in architecture, as a private amusement. The look, the feel, the artistic values it bring, the reason, the existence. When I walked through those corridors, when my fingers touched the wall, my heart leaped, thanking the architect along with the ideas and inspirations that came from our Creator. Human can't do all this by himself. They are too majestic.

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Those intricate carvings are very beautiful, I didn't really mind if it was actually mold-plastered and not originally carved. The idea was there, and I am thanking the Malaysian Government for bringing this to us. It is the closest that I can reach at this moment. 

And one day, I hope I can really see the original historical Moroccan architecture and probably other Islamic architecture in the famous Turkey too.  

Read more about Putrajaya's architecture from Tun Mahathir's blog, here. 

Unfortunately a new building has been added which is made up of glass, with no architectural features. It is not very imaginative as it looks like match boxes stacked on each other. It would be fantastic for New York but it is not Putrajaya. It is not very Malaysian or Islamic. It is in fact entirely out of place.

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Little Things 48 : Short Inspiration

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A video posted by Sarah Joan on her Facebook wall today put me in deep thought.

If money didn't matter, I want to travel and write and read all the time. I want to spend my waking time creating life that matters to me.

But money matters.

Doodle : Come Back

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Hello !

Like all any other people who draw and write for a living, I don't like " artist's block ". It is when I can't produce any other work, or trying to do so when end up with crumpled papers. Usually it happens when I finished a big project. In this case, my previous big project was Pipit Creative Market. 

It is very common and there is nothing to worry about. What I usually do is get online and explore the net for inspiration. It will take probably the shortest is for days and the worse is for months. I explore the net, read books, see visual books, listen to songs, watch movie, or travel. 

For almost a week, I've been having this condition. 

So for inspiration, luckily I followed my two favorite artist's instagram : May Ann Licudine & Audrey Kawasaki. They inspire me again with their beautiful artworks. 

Here are their instagram : Shardula & Audkawa.

And for all those commission orders and freelance works, it is on its way. I just got better from short artist's block.

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And for the come back, I made several doodles in my doodle book :

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And my Awan's sticker is coming up ! 

I'll test print it soon.

PS : Mum asked me why I keep on drawing these little people. 

As a warm-up, of course ! :D

Doodle : Hello Today ❤

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I opened my eyes to those faintest dissolving memories, 

and it slowly disappeared like all my other dreams.

❤ Hello new day ❤

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Doodle : Selamat Pagi

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Waking up from endless translucent dreams of the unknown.

 ❤ Selamat pagi ❤

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Awan.11

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Hello !

It's been 1 year and 4 months since we adopted Awan. 

The original story of why I adopted Awan was this. 

Last year, when I was 24 years old, I felt the urge to have children - this is due to the normal effect of comparing my life with my married friends : the famous peer pressure effect. But I wasn't married or even in a stable relationship, so I asked my mom and siblings about adopting a cat. PS : People who know me well should know how much I adore children. 

I said " Yes, I am ready ! I'll  take care of it, I promise. ", " If I have a cat, I'll be more responsible " - all those childish promises kids do. 

After the death of Rene our previous cat several years ago, I mourned for years. I was so affected by its death. I was not even friendly to any cats for years. So knowing that I was ready was a good sign. My brother *the-ever-so-supporting-person and I kept on doing research on cat adoption, online. We literally exclaimed to my mom about how this and that certain kittens were perfect for us. My mom was not really excited over having another cat. 

Weeks later, my sister's friend Kak Shila called her and said there's this abandoned little cat behind her house. Long story short, Awan arrived at our house. Weak and small. She can't drink milk yet at that time, so we fed her using our fingers. We let her lick her mouth before she learned to drink herself.

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Awan is so dear, to me. 

She is huge now. So huge she takes almost whole of my upper body when she lies down. 

She is no longer white. She is now stripey white+almost grayish chocolate.

She is no longer the clingy one.

But she still waits for me in front of my door room every morning.

I wish she will never grow up.

T^T

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You can see her album on instagram, here.

Awan these days :

Inspiration : Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami's on Writing :

When I’m in writing mode for a novel, I get up at 4:00 am and work for five to six hours. In the afternoon, I run for 10km or swim for 1500m (or do both), then I read a bit and listen to some music. I go to bed at 9:00 pm. I keep to this routine every day without variation. 

The repetition itself becomes the important thing; it’s a form of mesmerism. I mesmerize myself to reach a deeper state of mind. But to hold to such repetition for so long — six months to a year — requires a good amount of mental and physical strength. 

In that sense, writing a long novel is like survival training. Physical strength is as necessary as artistic sensitivity.

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Such discipline needs a very strong will.

You can read on other artist, writers and other interesting people on their daily routine , here.

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Aiming for Haruki's IQ84 ,

hopefully I'll find it at BigBadWolf next month.

Sticker : Individuals

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Hello !

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The sticker sizes vary.

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Other sticker sets :

Cakes Sticker Pack

Vintage Camera Pack

Astronaut Sticker Pack

All other Sticker Pack

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PS :

All stickers were illustrated by me and owned by me,

please don't copy, reprint or reproduce them in any ways.

Thank you for your understanding.

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Little Things 47 : Weakness

There is a question on my Proust account that I answered 15 months ago :

What is your biggest weakness?

And my answer was just in one word :

 Insecurity.

And after more than one year later, if I ask myself again the same question, I will give the same answer. How can after a year passed, I am still dealing with the same weakness? 

Will it ever be better? Will I ever find my peace of mind and soul , giving my whole life to what has been written ? Or will it still be the same ? 

Sometimes I feel like a teenage girl, still whining on a blog that has been created so public, asking for an attention ? Or is it just a way to express my worry thoughts? Or everything is just another excuse to feel ever so important? Sometimes I lost track of the main reason. 

My sister asked me on what am I going to do if my life has been written in a way that I don't really want or ask for? I am not sure, I guess I'll keep on living. 

There is no any other choice, It is like playing a chess game with a computer, knowing the computer actually knows all the possibilities of your next step. Playing a well-programmed planned game and we will be the clueless opponent. It is not fair, but that is life.

Event : Big Bad Wolf 2012

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Hello !

I am so glad to find out that the next Big Bad Wolf Super Awesome Book Sale is held before my next trip ! I was a bit worried before they notify the event's date and venue on the Facebook. So this time it will be much longer with more books on stock : imagine having 3,000,000 books ! 

But apparently all my extra money was & will be used for my next trip, so it leaves me with sipi2 money to spend on books. Worry not ! My birthday is coming and I can use that chance to redeem my birthday gifts from my loving siblings ! Huge *yeay* for that. I won't be needing a list of things this time, I'll just take a box and stuffed it with books and they can pay for those super cheap books. Ok ? 

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Any book lovers would be mad if they don't take this chance.

They are 75% - 95 % discounts.

I am super excited !

I got a week for that event.

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Little Thing 46 : Reset Button

It's a new year. 

A new start. 

A new beginning. 

Like an invisible reset button I can push, 

giving a psychological refresh on my 25 years of my life. 

Goals should be made. 

Spirits should be burned. 

If it is not today, then when will it be ? 

Life is what you are today, not what you say your life going to be someday. It is a hard blow to me because of what I've been saying these couple of years, doesn't represent what I am having at this moment. 

It is a new year. A fresh start. 

Like starting doodling on a brand new sketch book. 

Like opening a plastic wrapper on a latest Shaun Tan book. 

Finding something more meaningful and memorable. 

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Doodle : Astronaut

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Hello !

Here are new stickers from my doodle partner, zamzammee. 

There are 4 astronauts to choose from :

Printed on glossy sticker paper, hand-cut and packaged. 

Little Stories 24 : Grey's

Why did I even watch Grey's Anatomy in the first place?

Last night I watched the 'current' season 9 and ended up crying through the whole 2 series. I can't blame it on my hormones because I think they are perfectly fine. Those series became too hard for me to handle. After been knowing all casts for year, I've wrapped sentimental values towards them. Even as fiction, the series did a great job in leaving marks in my life. This is the longest series I've ever followed. 

Curse you Shonda Rhymes.

Why are you keep killing people?

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When I kissed my mom's hand before I went to work today -

Ma : Did you just cried ?

Me : No,  I cried last night.

Ma : Why.. *concerned look and came closer to hug me.

Me : Oh, I watched Grey's last night and it was sooo sad. So I cried so much before sleeping.

Ma : Ahh, emotional. It was just a story. Your eyes are all puffy now !

Me : I knoww..

My brother was excited when I came out of the room last night and happily said "So did you cried?". Yes, I cried the whole time ! (=.=)'

Little Things 45 : Photographic Memory

I really wish I have a photographic memory like Lexie Grey. 

What I have is a feeble visual memory with the ability to recognize and imagine certain things in my head. Like roads and maps, also certain coordination of things when I look at it. I usually can remember roads pretty fast, I know which road I've used and I can imagine my location in my head - according to how complicated it is. I can also remember where all book's genre located in a library merely by walking around once or twice, and I used to remember the History and Biology text books on my SPM year according to the pictures inside of it.

My family used me if they want someone to remember the road to someplace new and if we are lost, I become the living tracker on where we should head to next. The most famous use of it is locating where we parked the car in the mall?

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I can also spot similarity on faces like :

How many of you realised that Lord Voldemort acted as Mallory aka the new 'M' in the latest 007 : Skyfall ? I exclaimed "Voldemort !" when he appeared on the screen. Lord Voldemort with a perfectly formed nose. I can see Voldemort by looking at his eyes :

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I remember noticing Keira Knightly as a decoy queen in Star Wars : The Phantom Menace, when she acted as Queen Amidala. See how young she was in the movie? :

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Or recognizing Camilla Belle in the 1995's movie - The Little Princess. She is the littlest girl, 3rd from the right when I only saw her once in a movie called "When Stranger Calls" in 2006 :

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Photographic Memory is a very rare gift. For example, Kim Peek, had read 12,000 books in his life and he remembered every page of it, word-by-word. He could read 2 pages at once merely by looking at it. It took 12 seconds to finish of of page and can recall 98% of it.

Teddy Roosevelt could recite the whole newspaper after reading it once, he was also a speed-reader and been said that he read 2-3 books a day.

Do you know why I think this is the most super-awesome skill ? 

Because it is of course related to books. As a bookaholic, this is the perfect skill ever.

DIY : Epoxy Sticker

Hello !

Tutorial on making Do-It-Yourself Epoxy Sticker :D

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Things Needed :

Sticker Paper

Printer

Epoxy Sticker

Scissor

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1. Get things ready.

In this tutorial, I used Simili Sticker Paper I bought from Popular Bookstore ancient time ago.

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2. Get it printed.

In this tutorial, I used HP Deskjet 2000.

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3. Get the epoxy sticker ready.

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4. Take the epoxy sticker out slowly and stick it on printed paper

Make sure you put it precisely on the printed area.

Use your nail to let the bubble out.

The left one the printed one and the right one is with the epoxy sticker :

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5. Cut the sticker using scissor.

You need to be extra patient, don't over-cut your epoxy sticker.

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6. And there you go !

Your own epoxy sticker !

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If you enjoy this post, share it ya !

Thanks a lot.

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You can also order epoxy sticker from me.

Size : 3.5 cm

Price : 

RM 1 each , for less than 50 pieces

RM 0.80 each , for more than 50 pieces

RM 0.60 , for more than 100 pieces

Every 10 pieces, you will get 2 pieces free.

Email me : azreen_31@hotmail.com

Post Pipit Day

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Hello !

Here is my doodle on my Pipit day in my personal travelogue :

Click to get a bigger view.

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Hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)