It was our first time staying at a place that we booked through AirBnb. I was thinking of staying at a hostel or dormitory but most of the places like that are expensive in Japan but if you're the kind of person who don't really bother about privacy, then go ahead with that option.

Then I thought of staying at hotels, nearby to the city but they're even more expensive. Plus I didn't wanna waste our funds as we will not be spending a lot of time in a hotel. So last resort, why not AirBnb.

I made all bookings 3 months before our date of departure. Looking at a few choices. Most homes in Japan will provide you tatami bed and heater (for winter) instead of a real bed frames but it all depends on your preference. We had a mix of both. Their tatami bed are as comfortable as a wooden bed cause they're thick.

Since me and Juan brought some pre-cooked meal, we wanted a home that has cooking facilities. A small kitchen will do that we can cook our breakfast before we head out for the day.

In Kyoto, we stayed with our host in a 3 floor home. The 1st floor is for AirBnb while the 2nd and 3rd floor are occupied by the landlord. Although she had difficulty in communicating with us in English, we used a lot of sign language and Google maps. Her house is about an hour journey from the main city. So we travel by metro every day for the next 3 days of our stay. It was really convenient the fact that she provide bicycles for her guest so we don't have to walk for 15 minutes to the nearest train station. You can take a brisk walk to the station too and enjoy the small town and meeting people along the road.

I could say that our stay in Kyoto was the best although our Osaka home was nearer to the station. Our Kyoto home has this modern fell to it,mix with old Japan and we get to experience the daily lives of a Japanese household. The place was very clean and organized. We had complimentary coffee and tea (landlord provided us Teh Songket as she knew we were from Malaysia).

Every basic needs were there so we didn't have any problem in adapting ourselves. With washing machines, hair dryers, towel, toiletries and kitchen.


For more details or photos, click here.

As I mentioned in the previous post, this year's Syawal is a special one for me cause after 7 years, we decided to celebrate Hari Raya in Singapore with the rest of our extended family members. Plus my dad agreed to tag us along this time which makes it extra special.

It was definitely the highlight of 2016. Reminiscing old memories where we used to ride on my uncle's lorry to go beraya. It was definitely fun. Although the gathering was not complete but I can still feel the warmth and I managed to slot in some time to meet other cousins especially the ones I grew up with and those missing in the gathering

I could see that everyone are no longer the small little cousin that I used to walk hand in hand with. They're all now young adults. Dah tahu pakai makeup, dress up, style pun dah lain. Cepat betul membesar. Made me feel so old -__-'

This time around, we didn't had the time to go for shopping. This trip is dedicated specifically for Hari Raya. Instead we focus on beraya from house to house. Tapi poket sakitla. We visited my grandma's, my uncles and aunties and a few of my cousins. It was good to catch up with each other like the good old days. Had lontong in almost every house we visited but sadly I didn't had my kuah kacang this year. My aunt and my mum cooked ayam merah, nasi minyak and rendang daging for everyone. They cooked the night before and brought it over to grandma's place the next afternoon.

Oooohh, I had the chance to fly with Tiger Air for the first time. They had this cheap tickets a few months ago so I thought why not. I've been flying with Jet Star for the past few years of my travel to Singapore.

We're left with a few more days to go before the big E comes knocking. Are you excited as I am? I know you do.

As some would have known, my mum is a Singaporean born and she's a hardcore Singaporean at heart although living in Malaysia for many many years.

When we were younger, we celebrate Hari Raya in Singapore every year but as me and my sister grew up, we can't find the time to go back anymore. We have different holidays because I just started work and my my sis has her tuition and all. So it has been around 7 years since the last Aidilfitri.

So for this year, I decided to bring my parents to Singapore to celebrate Hari Raya with other extended family. Memang meriah and I know my mum couldn't be more than happy because she could meet all her family on a special day (crying because of the currency exchange -__-). One of the strong reason why I wanted to celebrate there is because of my grandmother. She's around 90 years old and I never know when will be her last Aidilfitri with her children, cucu and relatives. I've lost my grandmother (dad's mum) because I was too into my work that I skipped my Chinese New Year holiday on the same year she was gone. So I didn't want my mum to feel the same way. The regret that follows you forever.

1st Ramadhan of 2016 was my 1st anniversary of covering my head since I started back in Ramadhan 2015. I didn't remember until a colleague of mine reminded me during lunch last week. Wow. Time really flew so fast.

Throughout this 1 year, I have learned a lot. Like, you don't just cover your head but you also change the things you do, talk and how you act. You represent the symbol of hijab. Modest. I also learned to be more patient in any situation. I chose to to be quiet when I'm angry cause I'm worry that I might blurt some bad things out.

One thing for sure, I learned how to be closer to Him. Bit by bit, good things came through. I mean rezeki comes in many forms at my door step even the smallest. I also learned that covering your head doesn't mean you're religious or pious than other people. It shows that you've embrace your religion and yourself in a different way.

I'm glad that my change did not cause me to lose some of my friends or maybe I did. But what I know that those who were with me throughout this journey were people I love and care most.

Things has changed ever since my hijrah, I mean in a good way. I see who my real friends are, I get so many supportive words from friends, I became more appreciative of things around me, I became a humble person, I realize that money is not everything, I try not to be judgmental towards people, I try to talk only good things about people, I try to make my parents happy, I try to see things in a different perspective, I try not to be bothered by the worldly things, I try to be nice to people (although sometimes it gets to my nerves), I cursed less, I make new friends who can inspire me to be a better person, I learned to be a better daughter and wife.

As I type this, I wonder what would happen if this change has not take it place. Where am I now? But that was the past. I also learned that changed come in stages. No matter how small a change made by someone, the action that counts. Every first step leads to another.

This journey hasn't been easy for me. There are times when I wanted to go back to my old self. The test were to great for me. But my parents, close friends and Juan always motivate me to be consistent and to be strong. Peer pressure is always there especially when they criticize you or when they question your decision but through determination, you can make it. Nothing comes easy in this world.

On another story:

A few days before the Ramadhan, a Chinese friend of mine texted me:

She: Hey, puasa starts next week right?

Me: Yes on 6th June

She: Wanna meet up for buka puasa?

Me: Can. But can you tahan or not until 7.30pm?

She: I ok. You wanna do this week or after you start puasa also ok. I will preserver

Me: We make it on Friday next week?

She: Ok. Selamat berpuasa ya

She was the first to remind me of puasa even before Ramadhan starts. I feel very grateful to have such thoughtful non-Muslim friend and moved by her action. We knew back when we were doing our Masters and promised to make a point to meet up every once a month no matter how busy we were.

El Nino is a common weather for Malaysians. It comes and go every year especially this time around, it lasted longer than it was previous years. How do you normally beat the heat? You switch on the aircond around the house while watching TV. When you go out, you thought better no to off it as you might come back to a warm house so you let it switch on the whole time you were out. When the bill comes, 'Woah, why so expensive one?' Familiar?


Here are some tips for you so that you can save your money for travel (joking)

1. Clean your air-conditioner filter

Making sure that the filter of your aircond clean and service is important so that it'll run efficently and power saving.

2. Switch off unnecessary lights at home

I cannot stress this numerous times because switching off the lights when you go out will save you a lot of $$$. Even if you need to switch on one light to make sure that your house is not pitch black dark when you come back, opt for a lower watt bulb. There are many choices of bulb in the supermarket. I prefer the Phillip bulbs.

For more energy saving tip, click here