Things That Happened in February

23 February 2023

Hey peeps! The weekends are just around the corner again (how is time flowing so fast, explain??) and I thought this is the perfect time to do a quick wrap-up of how my February is going, and maybe just a little peek into January too... Since you know, I've been MIA for a bit and a lot has happened.

Thankfully, I actually remembered to take pictures during these events too, so more good stuff to share! 😌

🍳Made more home-cooked foods

The month of February has seen me cook way more frequently than I've ever done since the MCO. I'm not much of a cook because I get pretty lost without a handy recipe to follow. I trust Che Nom with my life when it comes to trying out new recipes, or else things would turn out very differently. 

What I've made so far:
  • Black pepper beef fried rice
  • Chicken curry
  • Apple salads
  • Kuah kurma
Do y'all have any easy-to-make recipes you'd like to recommend? I'm dying to try something new to add to my list!

🐱Adopted Nana and had vet visits

It's almost been a month since we adopted Nana into our lives and she is simply a wonderful teeny companion to have around the home. She's adapted pretty fast to her current surroundings and from my POV, I'm getting used to seeing her zooming like a squirrel around the house. I just have to be a bit more mindful of my food whenever she's around indoors, or else the next thing I know, she's dug her little nose into my lunch!

You can read the full story of Nana here, but she's currently on medication, specifically for deworming and a few other things. Other than that, she's a great eater and loves to tire herself out by playing. The only problem I have right now is my phone storage is getting really close to being full and I take pictures and videos of her almost every day. I'm getting too obsessed over this zooming furball! 

📚Bought more books! Any tips on finding preloved copies?

Just this month alone, I've had the wonderful chance of visiting bookstores a bit more regularly. From POPULAR to Eslie Bookstore in Bukit Bintang, and even Gerakbudaya in Penang. However, by some miracle, I managed to refrain myself from hoarding all the books on my wishlist other than a few:
  • My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
  • The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (Currently reading)
Books are pricey. Period. So I'm hoping that I have enough patience in me to wait for sales promotions or just buy secondhand copies.

🏖️Visited Penang for the first time!

That's right. Other than that one time when my one-year-old self was in Penang many, many years ago, I don't have any other recollection of visiting the island. I was there for a few days with my husband for our honeymoon and we had put on our "Dora the Explorer" hat while in Georgetown. The weather was hot and sunny, and we were dressed up looking very much like the tourists we wanted to be–me with the big sunhat and dress, while my husband was in his favourite floral buttoned-up shirt.





🦷Took a trip to the dentist *helppp*

Well, I don't have much to say about this one, but if you haven't been to the dentist in a while, I strongly suggest that you do. Like, very soon. My teeth were pretty okay but maintaining them would have been less of a hassle or pricey if I had followed the "every 6 months visit" thing.

🛍️Furniture shopping

We upgraded or added a few things to our home, specifically a new skincare trolley, full-length mirror, toothbrush organiser, laundry bag, bathroom shelf, and a whole lot of other things too.

🎈I went to a cosplay event 

This has to be our third anime/cosplay event so far since last year and this one was pretty epic despite its modest size. There were cosplayers and cute booths set up. I don't mean to brag but I managed to escape free from buying anything. I was this close to bringing a cute keychain or Genshin sticker home. 🥹

🧹Cleaned up my Google Drive storage 

Since earlier this year, I had Google sending me notifications saying that my storage was getting full. Not surprisingly, it was mostly taken up by videos and pictures of my own cats. My selfies where??? Anyway, I dismissed it for two good months before it had gotten to the point that it had reached 98% full storage capacity and I became paranoid if the newer pictures/videos I had taken were saved or not. 

I did consider buying more storage but... I was and still am broke. I'm already paying for other monthly commitments too, the latest being my cat. In the end, I rolled up my sleeves and got into the gritty work of filtering my files, pictures and videos. 

I'm now back to 8GB. 😵

We had a great family dinner over CNY!

I had my birthday celebration with both my family and in-laws. It was wonderful. I had so much cake and good food I'm pretty sure (and have confirmed) I've gained weight. We rarely have gatherings now that everybody has gotten busier but we had a great one on the weekends, especially during the CNY holidays. My sister makes amazing fruit cocktails and well, pretty much anything. 

💸Girly outings with "Broke Beruks" squad

My friends and I made a rule some time ago that no matter what, we'd agree to meet up every few months and have a great girl outing sessh. For now, boys aren't allowed in any of our meetups but the rule may change in the future (who knows). Anyway, during our last outing, we had brunch at this restaurant I've never been to called "Fish & Co" and the food (if you just "tutup sebelah mata" the price for a bit) tastes so good??? I'm very, very sceptical of fish and chips dishes from restaurants because based on my experience, they were almost always disappointing with the fish made of low-quality ingredients, and frozen chips and I'd go home feeling hungry like I haven't just had a meal a while ago. 

But their "The Best Fish & Chips"??? Their fish was freshly made and came in a large portion (couldn't finish mine), and so were their chunky savoury fries. They tasted good even without being dipped into the sauce (I forgot what it was).

We Adopted a New Kitty!

17 February 2023


I didn't think that my first ever post in the past few months and in 2023 would be about a cat (although she's not just any cat, of course) but if you've followed my blog for a while, you'd know that's nothing new. I don't make my obsession with cats, specifically my own a secret. And because this is about my cat, I'm more than happy to blog about her and share with you how I first adopted her and how she's fitting in with us.

But perhaps we should take a step back for a minute, and let me add more context and get you up to date with what's going on. I recently got married (yay!) and have moved out with my husband. If you've read about my other two cats who are both living with my family (Being Mom to Leo & It's Time You Meet Leo) right now, you'd know that I've had cats in my life for a long while. I think roughly almost 10 years and I honestly cannot imagine a life without a zooming blurred furball running around the house and demanding cuddles. 

Even before I got married, I knew, wanted. no needed a furball friend in my life, especially to accompany me at home and just have a special subject for me to fill my phone gallery with. 

About Nana


Unlike Dessi and Leo who were rescued, my cat Nana was adopted from a Facebook group I'm part of. I had joined a couple of pet adoption groups and scoured posts about cats for roughly two very desperate weeks, trying to find a cat or kitten that I could have chemistry with. I didn't have any specific preference over the breed, gender, colour, etc. What was important was that he/she would be alright with living indoors and outdoors, friendly and litter trained. 

I saw a post on Nana (her previous name was Jula) by chance, maybe published within just 20 minutes, and saw a couple of her pictures looking ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE, that the pickup location was literally 5-10 minutes away from where I lived, she's friendly and manja. My heart was sold. I quickly contacted her owner on Messenger and it was decided that very afternoon, I could have her. And throughout this whole process, I had my husband's full support to get whichever cat I wanted. He's not a cat or animal person per se, but seeing me happy over cats made him happy. 

How We Adopted Nana

At the time that I was messaging Nana's previous owner and inquiring about what she was like and her specific needs, she and her other furball family were staying at a cat hotel also close to my home. If I remember correctly, it was on a Saturday or Sunday when I borrowed Leo's carrier and was driven to the hotel to pick her up. When I first saw her, she was in her full manja purring "pat me now!" mode. She wasn't shy with strangers, as long as they looked friendly enough to offer her pats and attention. My husband and I bought claw clippers on our way out of the cat hotel.

At home, we had a reasonably large cat cage at the ready, a food bowl full and a couple of toys to help her settle down. She seemed unfazed by the changes in scenery and the fact that she's been adopted. All that mattered to her was an unlimited supply of attention and pats from her new hoomans.

Brainstorming Her Name

Her original name was Jula because she was born on a Friday (Jumaat) along with her brother, Juli. She takes after her mother a lot, a medium-sized poofy grey cat and who was also at the cat hotel where we picked her up. In a way, the name does suit her because it's such a lovely name for the likeable temperament she has. But I thought a different name would be fine too. Like a fresh start or a new beginning for her. Me and my family brainstormed for the right name that would just click with her.

We came up with Nana, Nala, Nugget (lmao) and a few others that my friends suggested. In the end, Nana just seemed to fit her best and it sounds manja when we call her out. Where did Nana Tuna come from though? It's because she loveeeed the canned tuna treats I gave her during her first week with us. It's to the point that she sometimes smelled of tuna and she purposely picked at her kibbles for just the tuna bits.

Getting Used to a New Home

I'd be honest, although Nana was doing extremely well at adapting to her new home, she did show signs of missing her family. She's a very social kitten who was used to living together with other cats. At home, my two other indoor cats (well, my family's cats to be specific) aren't the friendliest bunch. Leo, in particular, despises cats regardless of how friendly they are or their gender, while Dessi is overall not friendly with anyone other than two-legged humans. 

Luckily for Nana, we did have a friendly ginger cat roughly around her size and age usually hanging outside our home. We call him Rocky (I forgot what's the origin story behind this) and he took a liking to her immediately. He stayed by her cage the entire time, keeping her company and playfully pawing at her through the metal cage. At some point, when he takes a short stroll in another part of the garden and away from her line of sight, she'd meow and call him back.

Now in my own home, I bring Nana indoors to chill and stretch her legs for a couple of hours. She cherishes these moments specifically to 1) get the full pat session, 2) do zoomies around the house and accidentally slam against random sliding windows and doors, and 3) stalk her owners (me) wherever in the house. 

Meds Time (Burrito Mode)

I knew what I was signing up for even before I thought of adopting a cat in my life. But it still caught me by surprise at how much investment pet owners need to be ready with for their furbabies, especially for new ones in the family. Nana needs a lot of my attention because she's such a clingy cat by nature, and when she's doing her zoomies, I have to let her do what she needs to do. It's funny to watch but at the same time, I sometimes worry that she'd get injured (she's doing fine!). 

Recently, she had ear mites problems (now already cleared) and we had to give her meds on the daily. The treatment isn't exactly cheap but it's something very common to happen to cats, whether they live indoors or not. For us, it would happen sooner or later. When it came to medication time, my husband would wrap her up inside a towel while wearing bright red boxing gloves for protection, and all the while Nana looking like a tasty cat-burrito that she is, before I pinched a couple of drops of the meds into her ears. I wish I took more pictures of her looking like a puffed up burrito, but she's usually too hyper for me to get a couple of good shots. She almost always looks like a blurred gargoyle in these pictures.

🐱More on Nana Tuna Soon!

So what do you think of Nana? I'll definitely write more about her soon, the moment I have enough good pictures of her that I can salvage. And since I haven't been on this platform in a while, share what's been going on with you guys! 

🖤 10 Things That Make Me Happier: Life Update

17 October 2022


Seeing the twists and turns, the portholes that make life the way it is lately, I'm genuinely surprised by how many of us have been coping with all of that. The plot twists of twenty-twenty two have certainly been interesting. There’s been multiple times that I’ve opened this exact draft, seen the same blank page and cursor blinking, only to close the tab again. There’s a lot that I want to say but I haven’t written my way in a long while, I must have gone out of practice.

Or it could be that I can’t write as the same person I was months ago and I’ve been away hoping that by the time I come back here, she’d be back too — the reliable old me, you know? The problem with this is, sometimes there won’t come a time when things go back to “normal” or exactly the way things were, instead the situation and you change, for better or worse. They come in different faces: new dreams, new hobbies and interests, friends, a different career path, a new destination.

I’ve always been someone who worries and overthinks a lot. But there’s this thing all over TikTok and Twitter about how we shouldn’t make one particular trait about us as our entire personality. They say it makes us self-absorbed and just another way of forcing ourselves to fit in a particular category or box. Unfortunately, this is me 24/7 of the time. And because of this, I know I have the tendency to forget the good happy things that I like in the present. With that, I thought to dedicate one post about things that have been making me happy. 

  • I’m reading books again. I’ve just finished The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. I’m currently reading A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, not a happy-ish book but I love each of the characters and the pace of the story right now.
  • Bookshopping is my new therapy. I’m a regular visitor of MPH Online and Bookcurve websites these days, constantly checking if the books in my wishlist are in stock. Not to mention, I really missed the smell of fresh new books!
  • Signorina Misteriosa Salvatore Ferragamo perfume. I bought the 30ml bottle a couple of months ago after I was convinced with the trial bottle version, and I’ve never looked back since. I’m very, very particular with perfumes which is no wonder why my collection is so small, what’s with my sensitive nose and all. But I absolutely love the soft fragrance. I think it’s my signature scent now.
  • I’m addicted to Ahmad Tea’s Apple Refresh Black Fruit Tea. I’m not much of a tea or coffee person, but I do love the occasional cup once in a while. I rarely drink tea though just because my gastric hates it. However, for some miraculous reason, I’m very much okay with Ahmad Tea apple refresh black fruit tea. Both me and my mum absolutely love this, with or without a spoon of sugar. It feels like drinking tea at a spa. 
  • Ranting Talking with my favourite person (hello!). 
  • BullyingPlaying with my two cats more - Dessi and Leo. I’m mostly working from home these days which means more time with my cats. Leo has gotten so much bigger since my last update of him. 
  • Healthier, softer hair. Taming my hair and keeping it healthy can sometimes feel like a chore because it just refuses to yield. Most of the time it just chooses to dry up and wither very much like your average plant. But I’ve been religiously shampooing my scalp thoroughly, applying the most moisturising conditioner and hair mask I can find within my budget every few days, and it’s finally paying off! 
  • Cosy mornings in bed. I’m not much of a morning person, period. But I like to make the effort to roll myself inside my duvet into a human-burrito while scrolling through my phone and enjoying the morning while it’s still cold. 
  • Taking small bites of Farm Fresh fruit yoghurt. Currently my favourite dessert!
  • Reading manga. I’ve been anticipating the anime Chainsaw Man since I first saw the trailer earlier this year. But there’ll only be weekly episode uploads and I don’t have the best patience record that I know. I’ve resorted to reading the manga at my own slow pace just because other than the quick plots, I love seeing the artwork. 
And what about you, what things are making you happy?

My Very Realistic Work Routine

1 July 2022


I'm an avid believer for routine and seeing all the work I have to do laid out. Being a content writer at my current workplace, I'm very lucky that I'm given the choice to work hybrid mode; some days I'm at the office meeting my colleagues and attending meetings, while on other days, I can work from the comforts of my room with lofi music playing in the background.

Of course, regardless of the working setting, my routine is pretty much the same every day, especially when I'm commuting. There's nothing extraordinarily fancy about the rituals surrounding my work days, but stepping outside once in a while definitely feels refreshing (previously I almost forgot what being outside is like, just Covid thingz I guess).

Morning Routine 🌅

  • Shower, Get Dressed, Prayers, Makeup
  • Be Sure to Grab Breakfast 
  • Play Musical Chairs in the Train
  • Sleep all the Way
  • Eat Breakfast in the Office, Eyes Glued to TikTok and Twidder
  • Set Up My Laptop for Work
  • Check Emails from the Team and Clients
  • Plot Out my Schedule for the Day/Week
  • Start on Writing Content 
  • Attend Meetings


Afternoon Routine 🌤️

  • Wait for the First Person to Stand Up and Announce Eat Lunch Together, or if my stomach beats to it.
  • Eat My Lunch... Slowly.
  • ChitChat with Le Teammates 
  • Wind Down a Little, Check My Messages
  • Get to Work Again, Snaccing in Between


After Work Routine 💤 

  • Head Straight to the Train before Rush Hour
  • Doze Off or More Twitter/TikTok
  • Carpool Back Home
  • Shower, Prayer, Dinner
  • Play with My Two Cats, Avoid Temptation to Squish Them (TOO CUTE)
  • Catching up With Friends Online
  • Go Through A Dozen Outfit Ideas then Resort for the Least Effort-Demanding Choice
  • Iron Clothes
  • Brush Teeth, Get in Bed and Sleep



Demon Slayer 3rd Anniversary Event 2022 Ends Successfully. Streaming Tickets Still Available!

21 April 2022


In case you missed it like I unfortunately did, last weekend witnessed the 3rd anniversary of the well loved anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. It was an electrifying two-day event that took place in Japan on 16th and 17th April, 2022 with fans enjoying creative exhibits replicating the Demon Slayer world that we know and love, as well as dozens of stage programmes held at Makuhari Messe. 

On the first day of the Kimetsu Party stage programme, it was themed as the Entertainment District Arc whereas day two displayed the Mugen Train Arc, which overall featured all-star voice actors performing live reading of the original story and dubbing, unexpected guests’ appearances and theme songs performances by artists.

The annual event concluded with 4,500 attendees at the venue for each of the two days and with a whopping 20,000 more people watching the entire event simultaneously through live viewings at movie theatres and live streaming from their homes.

If you’ve missed it, fret not! Apparently, you can gain access to the recorded online streaming of the programmes from Stagecrowd platform from now until 24th April, 5PM (JST)/1AM (PT). 

Both stage streaming events are provided with English and Traditional Chinese subtitles. The tickets can be purchased via the following links:

An Introvert at Work

15 April 2022

Today, as a content writer in the creative industry, my responsibilities include not just planning and writing content from the safety of my desk, but also getting out there and engaging with clients, joining in various meetings for content feedback and actively helping in brainstorming for creative solutions. For somebody who can feel a little overwhelmed by fast-changing schedules and projects, I still find fun in what I do, especially when I can see my work published somewhere (also with the condition that I find peace at home, hanging out with my family and friends, and of course my cats).

Working can be really scary at first and when something unexpectedly new pops up, my first instinct is to internally panic before I aim for the steering wheel and take action. But with time, I start to do that less and less, and instead give myself some space to learn new things about the person I call “Me” and how best I can adapt, with my introvertedness and all. 

I’m a proud “work in progress” introvert. I believe that we don’t have to hate ourselves for being who we are or camouflage among the extroverts to look like we’re contributing. We bring value to the workplace in our own way too. What we need is to recognise our values and take advantage of our natural strengths. 

In this article, I hope to offer awareness of my experience balancing between working and staying true to my introvertedness for others to relate to. Believe it or not, we're not alone.

5 Things I Learned From My Working Experience As An Introvert 

There are More Introverts at the Workplace than We Think

Basically, we’re not alone! According to Susan Cain, author of the international best-seller, “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking”, introverts make up a third to a half of the workforce. That’s roughly between 35-40% of the population consisting of quiet introverts like us. 

But why does it sometimes feel like it’s hard to spot an introvert at work? 

It’s because for some of us, we manage to hide our introvertedness and live as the ideal extrovert. Personally for me, I never hide that part about me since it’s just written all over my face. Hiding it would be a futile effort on my part. The surprising part was that my officemates made it clear from day one that they were mostly introverts as well. I felt right at home.

  • The countries with the highest percentage of introverted top executives and senior managers: Singapore 53%, Zambia 53%, Malaysia 51%, Russia 48%.

I’m Not Shy or Afraid of People (sometimes)

I resonate thoroughly with Suzi Swartz in her article where she expressed the stigma surrounding introverts and how people tend to mix up introverted and shy together, when in fact, if you’re an introvert, you view the two things very differently. 

I’ve been labelled “shy and quiet” all my life. Open up any of my school reports during Teacher-Parents Day and the first thing that appears in the headline and report summary: “Syazwani is a reserved and quiet student”, and basically there was something clearly wrong with that.  I am an introvert and a quite shy one at that, but it's not always the case for all occasions.

The problem is that because of this stigma, it also confused me to think that I'm naturally always shy around people. On the contrary, my extroverted jobs have pushed me to almost effortlessly talk to people when I need to, make calls, lead projects/presentations. But once that is over, I find my safe space again and recharge.

I Need My Own Space to Focus on Work

I’m one of those people who values privacy a lot, especially now that I’m working with tight deadlines to meet and responding to calls for fresh ideas. I prefer being alone in a quiet environment while working, either at the office or in my room when I’m WFH because it offers me zero disturbances while all the creative ideas are zooming in my brain. I noticed that I worry a lot less about being watched when I’m left alone (overthinking issues pop up a lot when this happens).

Of course, I can be flexible and do extroverts’ way of working, but it takes me longer to complete those tasks (especially when I’m not prepared) and socially recover.

Give Me Time to Digest New Information

As an introvert, I do my best when I’m thinking alone, especially when a load of new information is given to me. I need the time-off to decompress and digest it before I can give my own input towards it. 

Based on my experience, after I’m allowed to reflect and think through quietly, my input that comes afterwards tends to be more thoughtful, carrying more weight than when I’m rushed and throwing whatever ideas I have on the top of my head.

I Know My Limits and When Not to Overextend Myself

I’m an infuriating perfectionist, and an introvert at the same time. 

The combo doesn't always go hand-in-hand, especially when I’m absorbing a lot of work, taking no breaks and social battery charging time because I don’t know what my boundaries are. As introverts, we need to think for ourselves a little more so that we can maintain a healthy, less tiring relationship with our work. I know we love our work, but stretching ourselves too thin won’t do anyone good.

These limits include:
  • Knowing what time of the day you’re most productive and when you need recharge
  • Recognising factors that distract you at the office or when WFH
  • Being aware of when to limit in-person interactions and go offline; texting and emails

Overall, as an introvert who has almost exclusively worked in extroverted jobs, there’s no reason to adopt a different persona just to match with the vibe at our workplace. If we can find the balance between our introverted nature and our career, we definitely can find the balance we need without feeling guilty of being an introvert.

If you recognise yourself in what I shared, I’d love to hear what you’ve learned through having extroverted jobs in the comment section.


Read these articles for more information:

  1. Introverted? Here Are 13 Ways To Make Your Personal Brand Shine (forbes.com)

  2. An Introvert’s Guide to Surviving on the Job - Guides - The New York Times (nytimes.com)


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