Gratitude List: 25y/o edition

Idk if I wrote about it on my blog before but I love to list things I'm grateful for in my journal daily or weekly. Today is actually my birthday so I thought of doing a major gratitude list - things I'm grateful for 25 years of my like. I'm sharing it here as a self-reminder so I won't forget that I'm privileged for these blessings. :) <3

1. I’m grateful to be born a Muslim.
2. I’m grateful I still have parents.
3. I’m grateful that even though my parents got divorced when I was 15, I grew up well and became as strong as I am now. Now that they are back together (since couple of years back), of course I am and have to be grateful than ever.
4. I'm grateful for having Kim by my side. I can bebel in Malay without being understood too.
5. I’m grateful that I have 3 siblings even though I’m supposed to have 4. I pray that our Zikri is one of the reasons for us to go to the heaven. :’)
6. I’m grateful I can drive quite well now. I once failed (immediately) on-the-road test because I drove dangerously. 
7. I’m grateful for having a wise and reliable Mak Ngah (my favourite aunt).
8. I’m grateful I can take decent pictures.
9. I’m grateful I’m interested to be a student for life.
10. I'm grateful I got selected and went to Harvard Summer School under full sponsorship when I was a freshman in UTM.
11. I’m grateful for the existence of MOCHUB. They are my nonbiological family since I was 13. Without them, there’s no BBQ party yang boleh gelak & nangis at the same time. And without them, I can’t sleep tight the night before nikah because they helped with the cooking, pasang pelamin last minute dan banyak lagi omg I love you guys.
12. I’m grateful my family isn’t rich. I develop my creativity and entrepreneur skills because of this.
13. I’m grateful I was selected and went through a practical teaching program in Semarang, Indonesia during my studies.
14. I’m grateful that Allah sent me to UTM instead of UKM (my first choice when I applied for UPU). I had fun during my studies, tried so many things, learnt so much and met my imam there. Aherher :3
15. I’m grateful I have a friend I can call nanny. Without her, my alarm clock would’ve been thrown out of the window couple of times during Foundation in TESL days. Sayang Iz! Cepat sikit datang Korea!
16. I’m grateful I can gain weight (like finally not so papan anymore).
17. I’m grateful He sent me good people who offered help during tough times. Especially when I came to Korea for the first time.
18. I’m grateful I have Kimfad Travel, a humble company I started by myself, (and with the help of good friends who shared info and experiences before that) is accepted well and joined by so many people since 2014.
19. I’m grateful that my stomach can accept Korean foods very well. If not, it will be more challenging to win over my mertua weh nanti jadi macam dalam Kdrama takutnya. K over.
20. I’m grateful I got to travel a lot and learn something new everytime.
21. I’m thankful that I know the word, “thankful” itself supaya point yang seterusnya sehingga yang ke 41 boleh guna perkataan “thankful” pula.
22. I’m thankful that Kim passed driving test at once unlike me.
23. I’m thankful for the bidet in the sharehouse I’m currently staying at right now.
24. I’m thankful I have the interest and ability to learn languages.
25. I’m thankful that my mom is a good cook. Everyone loves her foods y’all! Serious tak tipu. Boleh masak untuk keluarga dan catering sekali.
26. I’m thankful that TheSixnificance is significant to me. <3
27. I’m thankful that I love stationery more than handbags, shoes & clothes.
28. I’m thankful I can keep writing at this point.
29. I’m thankful that you’re still reading.
30. I’m thankful for my supportive followers on my personal Instagram, @snfad_diela.
31. I’m thankful for all the hardships I had gone through ever since I was a kid. “Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease” (94:6).
32. I’m thankful that my father is a man full of wit.
33. I’m thankful that I live with my late grandfather (from my mom’s side) when I was a little for a long time. And I'm thankful I'm missing him now.. al-fatihah.
34. I’m thankful I’m fit enough to be a tour guide.
35. I’m thankful that I am loved by many other than family and friends right now.
36. I’m thankful for staying in Seoul at the moment and able to share the beauty of this city to many others.
37. I’m thankful I cook edible foods (kkkk) that Kim eats them well without complaining.
38. I’m thankful that this list in endless.
39. I’m thankful I learnt about Korean skincare and doing the routine consistently.
40. I’m thankful I can use other than the word thankful now.
41. Alhamdulillah, I sometimes get “the call” from Him and trying to be a better Muslimah.
42. Alhamdulillah, my sister had a chance to be a stewardess without getting injured when she stopped being one. I’m proud of you, Ngah!
43. Alhamdulillah, I can sleep well anywhere at any time.
44. Alhamdulillah for the health I have at the moment.
45. Alhamdulillah, I have Nurul Izyana in my life.
46.  Alhamdulillah, I had the chance to do so many kinds of jobs. I worked as a waitress, clerk, sales assistant, tutor, teacher, personal shopper. Not too forget tukang kayuh basikal sambil jual nasi lemak ibu pagi-pagi dengan my sister masa sekolah rendah.
47. Alhamdulillah, I am now officially 25 years old, happily married, doing what I love and surrounded by kind-hearted people. 

      

Happy 25^th Birthday, Fad! May Allah bless you and your family. May you grow up to be wiser and always be in the right path. Always count your blessings! Even if any of those blessings are taken back by the Ultimate Possessor, never forget that there are countless blessings in disguise that you might not see (just yet). 

Life in Korea: First Impression & Adapting Process (Part 1)

Assalamualaikum and hi! ^^

Even though I have set a goal to blog once a week this month, I just can't.. Totally busy with the spring trip (10 days in Seoul) and of course.. assignments, exams, projects etc etc. *excuse excuse* >.<

Since I've been travelling back and forth KL-Seoul, I thought it's time for me to reflect on the journey I had previously- living in Seoul for a year.

As some of you might have known, Korea has a homogeneous society. I wasn't aware of that until I arrived for the first time...

1) Muka se-pattern

Malaysian yang pernah datang Korea maybe akan rasa benda yang sama. Muka orang Korea ni nampak samaaaaa je semua. Tak macam kat Malaysia, ada bermacam rupa, warna dan bentuk haha.

So, mula-mula sampai memang rasa macam pelik gila. Tapi bukan I sorang je pelik tengok orang Korea ni. Orang Korea mestilah lagi pelik tengok I. (Oh. I'm trying to change from pronoun, "aku" to "I" for the sake of adik-adik dan akak-akak yang membaca blog ku ini hehe). Sebab apa tau? Masih ramai orang Korea yang tak pernah nampak orang berhijab. Lagi-lagi kalau balik kampung kat Daejon tu, mesti ramai orang pandang dua kali. Kalau jalan pegang tangan dengan Kim, lagilaaaa lol.

Lepastu ramai akan tanya, "Indonesia?" hahaha. Bila tanya Kim kenapa dorang asyik tanya Indonesia je tak tanya Malaysia pun? Dia jawab, sama lah macam kita tak boleh bezakan orang putih tu dari Amarika ke UK ke Australia ke. Ok apa-apa je la. So, that's my first impression.

2) Bersih

  

Memang tak dinafikan, walaupun tong sampah susah nak jumpa, tempat dorang memang bersih even yang berniaga gerai-gerai kecil tu. Then I found out that their cleaning engineers clean up the street and take the rubbish at midnight or dawn. Masa orang lain sibuk tidur, datanglah lori kutip sampah ni bersihkan jalan, ambil sampah-sampah yang orang kedai dah asingkan semua siap-siap letak tepi jalan.

3) Koreans are efficient

Separation of waste dekat rumah adik ipar. >.<

This is a culture I learn by heart throughout my stay. And of course lah sepanjang kahwin orang Korea ni memang banyak kali kena tarbiyah dengan Kim suruh jadi efisyen sikit. Contohnya macam cara buang sampah kat sana. Punyalah payah! Kotak, botol, plastik kena masuk recycle. Sisa buangan makanan plastik khas. Tisu, kertas yang dah tak boleh recycle masuk sampah waste biasa. Know what am sayengh? Pening kan?

Rasanya first 2 months duduk sana memang berkelahi dengan Kim pasal cara buang sampah je. Kalau kat Malaysia kita ada 3 kategori recycle je kan? Tapi kalau kat Korea, memang tak sama. Kalau tisu dah guna dengan a4 paper kita pakai buang dekat bahagian kertas pun boleh kan kalau kat Malaysia ni? Tapi kat Korea tak boleh. Kotak biskut katakan, Kim akan buka kotak tu, flat kan dia untuk buang tempat recycle. Kalau minum susu pisang tu kan penutup dia macam foil aluminium kan? Yang tu asingkan ke waste, bekas plastik susu je masuk ke recycle. Sama macam makan maggie cup kari tu, penutup atas plastik sampah biasa, bekas maggie tu cuci-cuci sikit baru buang kat plastik recycle. Haaa fenin fenin...

Tanyalah Kim, kenapa lah nak susah-susah macam ni? Kertas, plastik, botol kaca kalau buat style Malaysia tu je kan mudah. Dia kata eh taaaak. Lebih efisyen macam ni. Dah asing semua nak recycle apa semua lagi mudah kerja orang lain. Yes, itu fahaman dia, kalau kita sama-sama memudahkan orang lain, the whole system will be efficient. Bukan "kalau-kita-tak-buang-merata-orang-kerja-angkat-sampah-takde-kerja" mindset. Even kalau pergi cinema kan, Kim and some other people taking out their own garbage buang kat luar. Geddit?

4) The must-be-a-beauty culture

Our skincare. kkkk

Ok. So you know plastic surgeries are very common among Koreans but NOT ALL of them did that. Ada yang kata surgery kat Korea murah sebab tu ramai orang dari luar negara datang buat kat sana tapi hakikatnya, untuk orang Korea macam Kim, cost tu masih mahal.

Yang penting sekali, diorang sangat menitikberatkan penampilan. Bila pakai cantik-cantik, bagi diorang kemas. Jangan terkejut bila datang Korea even atuk-atuk pakai suit siap kot dengan topi yang Bruno Mars biasa pakai tu bagai sebab dah memang culture diorang. Neat is the all-time fashion.

Masa mula-mula sampai I memang jenis tak pakai makeup, so keluar pergi mana-mana barefaced je (skincare pakai lah sampai sunblock). Tapi lama-lama memang rasa oblige to put on some make up kalau tak rasa tak confident tengok dorang semua cantik-cantik and kemas je. Kim siap cakap nanti tak makeup takde siapa nak kawan haha. At last, pandai belajar pakai makeup lepas balik Korea. Tapi of course lah sikit-sikit je. Takdelah makeup macam orang Korea dah macam kuih lapis segala. Kihkih.

Pernah Kim pakai suit untuk satu conference yang dia pergi kat Singapore. Habis balik rumah lecturer dia hantar, I sampai lambat sikit. Sesampai je tengok dia mencangkung kat depan pagar. Padahal tepi pagar tu ada je tembok boleh duduk. Sebabnya? Tembok berhabuk nanti kotor baju dah tak kemas. Hmmmm dah balik dah pun boleh je cuci nanti. 

Lagi satu cerita. Masa di Korea, kitorang ni duduk macam villa like small apartment gitu. Dekat area situ adalah CU (convenience store) about 2 minutes walking distance je from ours. Tiap kali kalau Kim nak keluar beli something, dia akan pakai bingkai spectacles besar gedabak (you know Koreans and their big spectacles berpisah tiada jua) yang takde cermin tu. Padahal keluar tak lama pun. Baru nampak well-presented kata dia. Adoiiiii... Macam-macam hal. Tapi itulah definisi cantik. Sampai kesudah mesti kena "cantik".

5) Makan

Dah pandai makan seafood and veggies ^^

Ok. Kalau cerita bab makan ni boleh emo. Sebab I kalau kat Malaysia hari-hari mesti makan ayam. Memang jenis tak makan seafood lah daging lah, NAK AYAM. Sebulan pertama di Korea tak dapat makan ayam sebab masa tu takde duit, dua2 study, scholarship, part-time job semua belum buat lagi. Daging ayam halal pulak sangatlah mahal, so makanan hari-hari yang mana ada je. At last, on one Friday prayer in Itaewon, Kim kata jomlah kita makan nasi beriyani ayam sebab isteri dia dah asyik telan air liur tengok & bau ayam sepanjang laluan balik dari masjid. So kitorang pun berhenti dekat salah satu restoran halal order lah satu ayam beriyani (10,000won) share berdua. Masa ni 10,000won tu sangatlah berharga okay. Sebab kalau makan kat Korean restaurant boleh kenyang makan 2 dishes. 

Bila ingat balik memang rasa bersyukur sangat we went through those hardships together, just the two of us. Tak cerita dekat family masing-masing. Tak mintak duit family masing. Just us. Lama-lama alhamdulillah, I learnt how to eat and survive dekat negara orang, apa yang boleh makan, apa yang tak boleh. Ikut guidelines and fiqh-fiqh Islam yang kawan-kawan yang dah lama duduk Korea bagi tunjuk ajar. Mudah je Islam rupanya. :')

And yeayyy I can know enjoy all sorts of foods, not being too choosy, not anymore. 

I guess that's all for now. Will update more about life in Korea if more people wanna know about it. :D 

Things I'm Grateful for 2015

Assalamualaikum.

Hello! 

This would be the last post for this year. It's amazing how time flies from a year in South Korea to one semester of my degree. I've been thinking of what I should blog about and I decided to list the things I'am grateful for throughout 2015.

#1 Supportive family

I couldn't be happier with sporting and supportive parents, husband, siblings, and relatives. My parents support the business I'm doing. My husband supports my new obsession and hobby for planners. I couldn't ask for more. ^^


#2 Travel to South Korea

I came back to Malaysia in September and went back to Korea for a week in September. I got to enjoy the autumn there, met new people and realized someone's dreams of traveling in South Korea.

#3 My job

I love what I am doing right now- trip planner. Even though I'm doing it as a part-time job and it's getting out of my hands sometimes, I would love to continue doing this in the future. 

#4 Buy a car using my own money

Well, it's not really my money but it's our money (my husband and I) that we worked for together. Even though it's just an old second-hand car, it's enough for us to go around the university and travel back and forth KL-JB. So, we're free from debt for the next 8 years.

#5 The viral-phenomenon

At first, I was a bit irritated by our pictures going on viral especially with the nasty comments on FB. But since I was in Korea at that time, I just ignored it. All praises to Allah, every cloud has a silver lining. It turns out to be more rezeki for us both. :') 
pssst.. I got 3 interview offers this year. Did email interview for Berita Harian once, couldn't do the 2nd one since I was in Korea and thinking whether I should do the 3rd and last I received today, 31st December for SIS, Tv9. *emoticon monyet tutup mulut*

#6 Learn Korean

I always love language since I'm enrolled in Foundation in TESL so, to be able to learn Korean language and communicate well enough for me to survive in Korea is another great thing I'm grateful for this year. I wish to learn more languages in the future!

#7 10k likes on Ke Korea KimFad fb page & 55k followers on ig

These numbers might not be a reflection of my success but I am grateful that these strangers who like and follow our fb page and my ig have been part of what make me laugh or motivated each day. :'D


There are more things that I'm grateful for but I would like to save it for myself. 

Before 2015 comes to its end, I would like to say sorry for all the mistakes I've done (intentionally or unintentionally). Wish you all another best year ahead. Happy new year! ^_^v

205 Days of Marriage : Twitter Thoughts

Assalamualaikuuuuum.

Hello!

I can't normally write an entry in the blog whenever I want to do so, I usually tweet few things happening once in a while - randomly or when something I wanna remember happen. Then, I thought this blog must be updated before I'm gonna be busy when the spring semester starts (I promised myself to write at least once a week but look at what's happening lol). Here goes... 

Thought #1 : Adapting with new life

I never planned this. It just came out one evening when we're doing our work. LOL

Kengkonon sweet ah nak seprais buat kimbap sambil tunggu kat pintu "Yeaay, abang dah balik" *sambil tadah sepinggan kimbap*

Honestly, I started learning how to cook after I got married. Sebelum kahwin memanglah ada masak megi, air, mi sedap, nasi goreng, sardin, spageti, tapi tu pun tak berapa nak terel. Bila dah kawen baru lah menggagau wasap ibu and semorang yang ada kat wasap list tanya resepi. Masak kari je pon.

First week kat Korea, 4x masak beras Korea baru jadi cantik nasi tu. 

Sebabkan oppa dah pernah belajar kat Malaysia setahun, dia memang suka makanan Malaysia (or semua makanan pun dia balun kot). Jadi resepi selalu tukar tukar. Korean, Malay, Western atau lauk-campak-gaul-rasa. 

Paling aku suka. :3

Not surprising. We always spend hours in PSZ, UTM back then.

Selain nak menyesuaikan diri dengan life baru sebagai isteri, semua benda mesti kena share. Mesti.

Thought #2 : Miscommunication 

We speak English (most of the time), Korean and Malay in our daily conversations. Sometimes, because of the different culture and proficiency that we have, we can't understand one another. Bagai ayam dengan itik.

Sometimes, we're trying so hard to remember new words (Korean for me, Malay for him)...

 

Thought #3 : The unexpected reactions

There's always a lil' surprise every now and then.

Di suatu malam selepas team Korea kalah Asian League.

Thought #4 : The Korean-drama-pickup-lines-moments

Ada masa masa tu aku cakap ngan oppa "eleh, ayat tak boleh blah".

Sudah semestinya dia tak faham tapi dia suka repeat after 2 3 perkataan last yang dia dengar.

To pray Isyak together - obviously bukan dari Korean drama.

Thought #5 : Homesick

Being away with my family for a really really long time, kengkadang memang sedih and rindu walaupun dah kahwin. Kalau masa belajar jauh jauh kat Seremban dulu ke or even masa dekat UTM Johor, tiap minggu kalau boleh nak balik Klang. 

Walaupun dia tak reti nak cakap "atototo bucuk bucuk rindu rumah ye", he'll be there trying all his might to persuade me dengan kata janji manismu. Tinggal lagi dia tak boleh nyanyi lagu Janji Manismu tu je. Kalau dia nyanyi, confirm boleh terkeluar isi perut aku mengekek sebutan pelat dia tu. 

Apa apa pun alhamdulillah. Orang selalu kata "susah wei kahwin bangsa lain/orang luar ni" tapi tiap tiap perkahwinan pun ada pasang surutnya, ada ujian, rezeki yang dah ditetapkan untuk masing-masing. Kan? 

Bila tengok instagram ada yang tulis komen panjang-panjang doakan kami, tiada apa yang dapat kitorang bagi melainkan syukur.

Terima kasih :')

Siapakah gerangan gadis yang memeluk oppa itu?

Peace be upon you :)

I thought I had never written in BM for this blog but this post is exceptional. Read if you know Malay or you'll be damn confused if you Google translate it.

'Isu' gadis Melayu bertudung dicabul oleh retis (told you there's no point of Google translate my BM 'cause my leisure BM is all over the place liddat >.<) kpop, gadis Melayu bertudung berpeluk bercium dengan retis kpop, masih lagi hangat diperkatakan di timeline fb aku. Tak cukup video orang kongsi, di ruang komen orang maki, generally kpoppers (idk if this is what they call themselves) dibenci. 

Kalau pihak penganjur tak rahsiakan identiti bebudak perempuan tu, orang yang 'lebih rajin', 'lebih sifat ingin tahu' tu, mesti nak jugak cari sampai lubang cacing. Untuk apa? Beri pengajaran pada mereka katanya. 

... *sigh*

Sudah-sudah lah tu. Lebihnya kita apa pada dia kalau bahasa kita pun tidak melambangkan bangsa apatah lagi agama?

Taken from my friend's

"Pandang abang lah sayang pandang kamera bukan hensem" k
-caption sekadar hiasan, laki saya tak pandai BM lagi-

Peace yaw.

A Fresh Start

Salam. Hi. (:

2015.

A new beginning.

2014 was a blessing. I gotta do practical teaching in Indonesia as I've been dreaming to since the day I knew about it in second year of study. I've been saying I wanna get married early since forever. And Seoul has always been in my country-to-visit-before-I-die list. 

Teacher's Day at SMKTBI

Precious

Dah halal XD

One fall night at Changgyeonggung.

Despite of all the blessings I've received last year, I kept thinking of how I should make the best of my 2015. I thought, I wanna change myself first.

A new me...
A professional procrastinator.
A better cook.
A punctual person.
A tour guide.

Hold on. Yeah you heard me right.

As I'm now a tour guide in Seoul (wohooo). XD

I was given a few jobs last year to be a tour guide by some of my friends' travel agency. I thought I might wanna do it by myself too this year. Sadly, I'm not going back to Malaysia in February as Hakim and I have planned but the good thing is that I can do more jobs here (of course, we can save more money. $_$ kaching kaching heh)

So yeah, email me at snfad_diela@ymail.com if you've got any questions for the price and what kind of package I have (ONLY ground package - that can be discussed).  

For the time being, I shall find ways to realize the other 3 resolutions. XD
Bye!