Nabila

How my Ramadan was...

Fun and exciting uni life!

My YGA stan self was soaring!

I finally watched Business Proposal...

THE RELEASE OF ONE OF MY FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF ALL TIME: FIVE SECONDS FLAT BY LIZZY MCALPINE!

5SOS made me cry!

I'm living on campus again...

And surprisingly, it isn't as nerve-wracking as I thought it would be. I got a nice roommate, a strategic room despite the many stairs I need to climb to get to it, and most importantly, I'm closer to my friends now! We're not living in the same college, but it's like about 10 minutes away from me by walking so we can still plan to hang out and even have sleepovers, which is the only thing I have been anticipating since I decided to stay on campus this semester. 

Ramadan is coming...

Since I'm staying on campus this Ramadan, as opposed to last semester when I lived alone at home, I don't plan a lot in regards to food except for buying some rice, canned foods and some planning with my roommate in case the student authority is doing a spot-check to find rice cookers LOL. Besides that, I'm still planning to finish the whole Quran this upcoming Ramadan and since I'm certain I'm going to have my period very soon, I did some planning so that I can juggle doing my coursework, finishing 2 juz' a day for a week on top of other ibadah activities and other basic living obligations. I have it on the top of my head for now but will include it in my Notion page later.

I watched some very good TV shows!

Since my semester has just started and the majority of the classes I'm taking are mostly conducted online and there are not a lot of assignments yet, I mostly spend my afternoons and evenings watching tons of TV shows. I haven't finished The Office yet and I'm kind of on the fence about finishing the show because I've reached the part where Steve Carrell left the show and his character is one of my favourites... so... you know. I also started watching Kim's Convenience this month and am on season four. It was a fun TV show, very original and freaking SIMU LIU is in it. On the other hand, Thirty Nine makes me cry every episode. I love the writing and the vibe of the show, the writer and the actors really did well on this show! Really recommended.

I'm starting my final year project!

With the start of my final year project, the end of my university life also begins. I still have another year (my final semester ends in June next year) but I can't help but feel that the ending of this chapter of my life is already starting. I have been dreading this since my foundation year but surprisingly, so far, I'm doing well. I already have a topic in my mind and only need to find out what exactly I want to do regarding the topic. Please pray that everything will be eased for me.

And since my March went so well, here's a little collage of my month:

Featuring this bougainvillaea from my Mom's mini garden :)

1. What are you wearing?

2. Ever been in love?

3. Ever had a terrible breakup?

4. How tall are you?

5. How much do you weigh?

6. Any tattoos?

7. Any piercings?

8. OTP(s)?

9. Favourite show?

10. Favourite bands? (yes K-pop groups do count)

11. Something you miss?

12. Favourite song?

13. How old are you?

14. Zodiac sign?

15. Quality you look for in a partner?

16. Favourite quote?

17. Favourite actor/actress?

18. Favourite colour?

19. Loud music or soft?

20. Where do you go when you're sad?

21. How long does it take you to shower?

22. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?

23. Ever been in a physical fight?

24. Turn on?

25. Turn off?

26. The reason I joined Blogger?

27. Fears?

28. Last thing that made you cry?

29. Last time you said you loved someone? 

30. Meaning behind your blog URL?

31. Last book you read? 

32. The book you're currently reading? 

33. Last show you watched? 

34. Last person you talked to?

35. The relationship between you and the person you last texted?

36. Favourite food?

37. Places you want to visit?

38. Last place you were?

39. Do you have a crush?

40. Last time you kissed someone?

41. Last time you were insulted?

42. Favourite flavour of sweet?

43. What instruments do you play?

44. Favourite piece of jewellery?

45. Last sport you played?

46. Last song you sang?

47. Favourite pick up line?

48. Have you ever used it?

49. Last time you hung out with anyone? 

50. Who should answer these questions next?

Photo by Tim Ronca.

As the end of my degree draws closer, I grow more anxious. What if I screwed up and made the wrong choice? This has been a question that keeps haunting me ever since I started my foundation in 2018. I have always been an indecisive person, I don't know if it's rooted in my many interests in life or the lack of it. When I finished secondary school, I was sure that I never wanted to study anything related to science anymore. But then I entered a foundation that is specified for science, where I could only continue to pursue studies in the field of science. And then when the time came to choose a degree programme when I could choose to study psychology which involves lesser science, I instead chose to study environmental science.

Now, I'm not regretting anything. I've grown so much since I started my foundation, and I've learned the art of trusting Allah's plan, believing that I'm exactly where I am supposed to be right now, that every hardship I'm facing is essential for whatever it is that is coming in my life. I'm grateful for every choice that I made in my life. These days, along with the question I wrote in bold above, another question that keeps popping up is if I'm not where I am supposed to be, then where should I be? Usually, that question comes after I try to convince myself that I am not screwing up, and if I'm screwing up, it's essential for my growth. 

I see friends that seem to be exactly where they want to be. I know some of my friends from secondary school that is actually working so hard towards their dream, towards the place they think they should be at, and I'm envious of them because I don't know where the heck I should be. Is this really the place where I want to be right now? What if I'm wasting my time at this place when I should be somewhere else? Is me questioning this right now a sign that I'm a person without a purpose in life? (No don't go there.)

I wish I can somehow see little pieces of my future. Just to see if I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be and not wasting my time. Maybe I really should invest some time thinking about my long-term goals so that I can plan the most efficient ways to not waste my time to get the place that I think I should be, despite not believing in long-term goals. Or I can just keep convincing myself again and again and again that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be and try to build a shield for myself somehow (I don't know how), just in case I do screw up. 

Photo by Katya Baydarova.

February was definitely a short one, but many things happened and I also had a lot of fun. I've been watching lots of TV shows I couldn't watch when my semester was still ongoing and some reading too. Sure, compared to my pre-covid usual Februaries, this February was not as eventful as I did stay home 100% for the whole month but you need to enjoy what you get, right? So here are the things that happened in my life in February.

My fifth semester of university ended!

My fifth semester was rough. I caught COVID last December and it totally threw my momentum off. I hate when that happens. I had everything planned out but because I got sick, two weeks' worth of plans got delayed and I completely lost my motivation to continue my study. Nevertheless, I did finish all my coursework and final exams so I'm still patting myself on the back. Overall, I was still in a much better headspace compared to my fourth semester so I hope I'm gonna do better in terms of my CGPA (please send prayers).

So I'm back on The Sims 4... and I'm obsessed

My first matriarch and her first daughter :')

The view of my sims stargazing is the best <3

I installed The Sims 4 on my laptop last July and it was all I cared about last semester break. And then my semester started and I stopped playing for a while but as soon as it ended, I open The Sims 4 right away. I'm doing a Legacy Challenge (read: you need to have 10 generations and stay on the biggest lot, which means that you need to pay a huge amount of property tax without cheating) so I'm just super excited to finish this challenge so that I can start a new challenge peacefully. I'm only on my third generation now, though, so it will probably take another few months for me to finish it😆

I started watching The Office...

I hate the first season with my whole heart but these two? I fell in love with them and started shipping them the second I saw them.

AND IT'S AWESOME. Michael Schur never disappoints. Every sitcom that he wrote freaking slapped. I can't say how this show places in my sitcom ranking yet, but it is good. The first season was so problematic, I'll probably hate it forever but it gets better. Like Better better. The writers created a character that is so unlikeable and problematic but as time goes by, he shows some depth, he grows on you and you absolutely love him with your whole heart but also kind of hate him a little (or a lot, depending on the episode). That is hard to do and I applaud the writers for that. And the side characters? Oh my god, I love them. I started the series thinking "how will the writers make this not boring, they are literally in an office selling papers" but the characters were written so wonderfully so no boring moments at all.

I set up my Notion!

I'm kinda obsessed with how cute my Notion homepage is.

I get insecure about my productivity on a daily basis. I used to think that everything I need to do is all in my brain and I don't need any other tool to help me... but not anymore. Last year, I tried using a planner and although it helped, I found it a bit inflexible. Before that, I tried using a simple notebook to plan my day and that also didn't help so I figured that bullet journaling will not help either. So I'm trying to plan fully digitally this year. At first, I thought of using a spreadsheet since I already know how everything works, but these posts by Fadwa, May, Maha and Kate convinced me to try using Notion instead. I used May's template and altered it to suit my needs. Hopefully, I'll stay consistent this time🤞🏻

Driving to reckless driving by Lizzy McAlpine!

Lizzy McAlpine is one of the musicians I'm currently really into. I discovered her music early last year and her music is just very soothing. She has an angelic voice and I adore the storytelling through her songwriting. Her new album, five seconds flat, is coming in April and I'm so excited about it. The music video of reckless driving is the continuation of three of her previous singles for her upcoming album the storytelling is just *chef's kiss*. The song itself is just as wonderful as the music video and is the perfect song to drive to. Just don't recklessly drive while you're listening to it. Give a listen to her song here!

And that marks the end of this post. I hope that your February also went well, and March goes just as well or better than the previous months! 

When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. 

Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena - Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods (Goodreads).

My name is Percy Jackson. I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York. Am I a troubled kid? Yeah. You could say that.

Title: The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson & the Olympians #1) 
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mythology
Goodreads rating: 4.28
Pages: 377
Publication: 2006 by Disney Hyperion
Source: Book Depository | Amazon | Popular | Google Books
Reading format: Paperback
Review type: Non-spoilery

My Goodreads review (click)

Hi. I never planned on writing a book review for this series because it's already a big name in the book and film industry, with huge followings. But with the TV show coming, I kind of feel the urge to promote the series. I just want more people to read the series because it meant so much to me, and I first read it as an adult too! Just a note, this is only a review of the first series, strictly only Percy Jackson & the Olympians, not including the Heroes of Olympus and the Trials of Apollo. There is a similarity in terms of the writing between this series to the other series, though. So here's my review of the series:

Let me begin the review by talking about the writing. It was written in first POV, meaning that we see the story from Percy's eyes. The writing itself was very easy to read and follow, there were no hard terminologies and you can easily read this even if your first language is not English since this series's target audience is middle-grade peeps. There was also no poetic bits, so it made a very easy and quick read. I never tried listening to the audiobooks, but that would actually be a good idea, since the writing was so engaging, as it was told as if Percy is telling a story to us! It made the reading experience even more fun because he was a funny narrator. And if you're only starting to read fantasy books, this book will be good for beginners!

The world-building and the magic system was also very easily understandable. You basically know all the basics within 50 pages of the first book. This series sets in a world where all the Greek mythology thingy was real. Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hercules, name any of them, they did exist in this world. And since this is a middle-grade book, no you don't need to have prior knowledge regarding Greek mythology because you'll learn everything from the series. 

Plot-wise, in each book, the story would start with Percy and his friends having a new quest, them finishing said quest and the ending. Every book is an action-packed story with funny commentaries from Percy. And everything was also set in a short time period, which can feel very fast so if you're quickly burned out, I would not recommend binge-reading the books in a week despite how short all the books actually are. My experience binge-reading this was awesome but it was also tiring. There was also a very minimal romantic subplot and it only started on Book 3, I think? The series started when Percy himself was only 12 so that made sense.

Sure, the adaptation sucks but these three did such great jobs portraying the characters. If we can age down humans I would've cast them for the TV show.

I apologise for the fangirling that is about to happen but now, I'm going to talk about the (beloved) characters. In this series, we have three important characters; Percy, the main character, his best friend, Grover and Annabeth, the only reason both Percy and Grover were still alive by the end of the series. I loved all of them. I think that it's not a secret that this series was applauded for its diversity, in that the majority of the characters in this series were with ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and were also dyslexic. I think that there is more diversity in the latest middle-grade books, but it wasn't very common during the time this book was first published. It was a very interesting and new perspective for me when I started reading this book because my reading list wasn't exactly filled with lots of diversity back then. 

I'm not ashamed to say that I turned 10 when I started reading this and Percy Jackson became my ultimate comfort character in a heartbeat. I can cry talking about him. He's like a little brother that I'm really rooting for. He's just an overall a very nice kid. He's not perfect but he has a heart of gold. I loved being inside his head because he thought of the funniest things during the most inconvenient times. He's just a very lovable character. And his character development... CHEF'S KISS!

With Percy comes Grover, the ultimate sidekick. If Percy was funny, Grover was the utterly hilarious character. He's supposed to be Percy's guide but he was just as clueless as Percy was. Nonetheless, he was a very persistent character throughout the series. I don't want to say more about him because it will be a spoiler but I just know that everyone that reads the book will definitely love him.

I'm saving the best for the last. Obviously, Annabeth was the 'mom' character. She was the smartest among the three, intelligent, had a wonderful strategic mind. I loved her with my absolute being, her 12-year-old self was even smarter than the 19-year-old me. She also shows great character development; by the end of the series, she was just as courageous and genius as she was at the beginning of the series, but she learned to open up more. And I'm not kidding when I said that THEY WOULD ALL DIE WITHOUT ANNABETH.

So... was it worth it reading the book as a grown-up?

For the people who want to introduce this series to their little ones...

While we're here... books from Rick Riordan Presents are just as great and more diverse, from own-voice authors!

Wow, it's February already. Happy Chinese New Year to those who are celebrating! I saw a lot of posts on Twitter saying how January was going so slowly in the middle of the month and those guys couldn't be more wrong. I'm thinking about starting monthly wrap-up posts again this year. It's my favourite kind of post to write and I miss posting regularly. It's also a good way to summarize and document my month in one go. But that's just a plan I had, on the top of my head, we all know I'm not the one to go through with my plans, especially since I'm on my third year of university already and I'm swamped with work. Here's how my January went:

I turned 21!

Favourite TV show of the month: The Red Sleeves

My first book of the year: The Invisible Life of Addie Larue.

I started working out again...

I'm at the end of my fifth semester!

A literal presentation of how I was doing, mentally, in 2021. (credit)

It's the 8th of January by the time I'm writing this, and I think it's not too late to say a happy new year to all of you! I haven't been posting a lot on this blog and to be honest, I don't know when I will start posting regularly again. I miss writing, planning it and the thrill of everything, hopefully, everything in my life will ease off sooner so I can get back on blogging.

2021, for me, was a roller-coaster that was going downhill with only tiny ups. I wanted to improve on so many things, I wanted to learn a lot of things but because everything was going downhill, I could only focus on surviving. It was not the worst year of my life, but it sure was the loneliest year and one of the hardest years.

In 2021, I started living alone for the first time, managing the house, paying bills and everything and I got to say, adulting is freaking hard. I was also busy with studying, doesn't have any transportation option except for Grab (which is freaking expensive), still paranoid of COVID-19 so I didn't get to go out a lot or even virtually socialize with my friends (we were all busy). For the first 3 months living alone, I felt like I was going insane. The only things that kept me sane were sitcom shows🙂

Losing interest in what I was studying due to a massive burnout certainly didn't help either. My life mission for the first 7 months of 2021 was just to survive, and that included my study. And the result was... well, obviously, not great. I had a week and a half of breakdown right after I got my result for the semester. I blamed myself again and again, but at the same time, I was aware that I did great just by surviving. 

Only when my semester break started that I had the time to process everything that happened since the end of 2020; living alone, how fucked up my social life had been since COVID started, my study burnout. It was a hard but very necessary process for me to continue my life and my third year of study, carrying pieces of baggage that were piled up for months would not help in me trying to grow.

Despite my failures and not so much improvement in parts I wanted to improve, I'm still thankful that I survived everything. Things were so hard for me for months but the fact that I still woke up every day to take care of myself. I tried, I tried and I tried to live better and maybe the impacts of what I did were not as big as I intended them to be, I still tried and that's enough. I can keep trying and maybe someday soon, I'll see the positive results I want to. 

And I hope that if you also feel like you didn't achieve much last year, you do know that survival alone is an achievement and we should be proud of ourselves. May 2022 be the year where, if not everything goes as we plan it to be, at least some of our plans can be done successfully. Happy new year!

Sending you a virtual hug because you did great in 2021! (credit)