Home Deco: DIY or not?

Assalamualaikum..

Hi guys! How do you like my previous post on the sheer curtain? Did you guys get inspired? Have you tried something similar to it? I hope you do give it a try. If not.....*merajuk* haha :P

I'm actually in a seminar right now and I will be giving a talk later. So to succumb the nervousness and acid flushed stomach ache, I decided to draft a post for you guys. See I am sweet like that :P Even if I'm busy I still think of you guys *blush* hahaha. Okay, back to the topic, I am having a reaaaaallly long phase of thoughts about some wall decor for my living room. It has been left bare except for a clock and that's it.

I was thinking to have some floating shelves and put my favorite quotes in a frame and then arrange them on the shelves. I would also like to put some books on the shelves. Here are a few of my favorites. Check them out in the link.

     

But, my main concern is that, I AM NOT ALLOWED TO POKE THE WALLS WITH NAILS *noooooo* That's a bugger guys but to no avail, I have searched day and night for the solution. After some gruesome battles, shedding blood and tears, I have finally found the solution for it!! *drama mode activated* Yes I did! Hehehe :D

See the picture above? No, it is not my wall, duhh..hehehe. As you can see, the white brick on the wall is actually a 3D kinda wallpaper. You can glue it on the wall the same way that you would do to a normal wallpaper. Then from there, you can begin your magic and hangs on any arts and crafts that you feel to show off to anyone visiting your house. It is said to be able to handle 1/2 inch nail and won't do harm on the wall itself. As long as you make sure the nail is hitting on the brick part of the 3D wallpaper :D

So now it comes to the question: Have I tried it? Guess what, I haven't :P :P :P Hehehe. Well basically because I haven't stumbled upon this kinda wallpaper anywhere I went. Maybe It was only sold in stores that sell specialties wallpaper? Or maybe I wasn't looking hard enough :P :P I think it is more like the latter ones. Hehehe. After a long hard thought, I figured that it wasn't really worth it. I'm sure the 3D wallpaper would costs more than a normal ones. Hearing 'costs more' makes my eyes squints shut and my head nods in disagreement. Hahaha. Well, of course I would like to make my rental home beautiful, but it is just that I would rather spend on something more beneficial than just a wallpaper :) 

Looking back a few months before this post, when le hubs was coming over to KK, we did some makeover to our dining chairs and had them re-upholstered and add some cushioning too, all on our own; DIY style. We did it all from scratch from buying the plywood to buying the sponges and also the fabric. It was all worth it! It took us approximately 3 days to finish all 3 projects together! Did I even mention we made a 6 x 4 feet ottoman? And to make you wow-ed even more, we even made a movable coffee table from the scratch material from the two other projects! Yes, we are so proud of ourselves :D :D :D 

So now we have a seating for people who came in and need time to take their shoes off; the ottoman. We even have comfortable dining chars now and lunch or dinner could be longer now. Or we could choose to dine in front of the TV with the food on the coffee table :D There was only one thing that I regretted though from all of these projects. I didn't took the pictures along the way. If only I did, I could make it all into one DIY blogpost :'( I am sorry! I wish I did though, because someday I would like to refer back to it. Huhu. Anyhow, here is a few snippets on the final product. Sorry our workmanship is not that perfect, but we are proud of everything we made :) Oh btw, the legs for the ottomon we bought from IKEA (Nosborg) for RM50 and have le hubs brought it here. Thank you sayang :*

All in all, I hope there are moreeee DIY projects to come. I actually have one in my mind right now but I have to keep it inside first. This time I promise you I will not forget to take the step by step pictures :D Hehehe. *pwomish* Anyways, as a closure, I would like to emphasize that making a DIY project doesn't mean that it needs to take all of your time and money. It feels different than buying your furniture from the shop. Maybe you could try small projects for a start and let me know how it goes :) Well, thank you for reading and have a great day! :D

p.s: Sorry I don't have the picture for the upholstered dining chair at the moment :( 

p.s.s: This is also a backdated draft post. Sorry >.<

Of Lego & buying a home

Assalamualaikum

Hi guys! How are you guys doing? I'm down with flu and cough right now but it is still manageable, no sweat :) I think this week is longer than usual. Maybe because I am back in the office again and office works are so boring, it makes the time stops. Haha. Sorry if I seemed a little tired in this post (can you tell?), the flu has really been slowing my brain down. Huhuhu..Anyways, boring things aside, today I would like to share with you guys the things that awaken the child in me: LEGO! hehehe

As a kid, I never really had my own set of Lego. Well, apparently I think because it is considered expensive, and maybe it is just the sort of toys that boys play with. Duhh, even now (buying it with my own money) I still felt that Lego is expensive. Hahahaha :P Anyways, personally, I felt like Lego was a very intelligent toy. If I have a child/children *Amin* I would preferably buy them Lego instead of other plushies or dinosaurs or whatever. One because it will develop creativity in them, two because I get to play with it too! Muahahahahha *evil laugh* :P 

I thought having a high desire towards Lego was such an immature and inappropriate adult behaviour, but boy was I wrong! There are actually many (like gazillions, kot?) people like me! *high five brotha!* Hehehe. Some took them waaaaay more seriously like I do, and created a house of Lego, like this guy: 

It is so creative! How could we think about that?! I felt like he totally lived in a different world than ours. Moreover making the house fully functional is definitely an added plus point. Considering the crazy cost of living nowadays..a decent size home could cause you a fortune of fortune. Because it is so da*n expensive! I don't think I can afford the houses like what we saw in the soap opera in TV3 where they lived in big houses with big big windows and high walls and not to mention the hugeeee swimming pools and definitely the imported cars and all the luxury furniture. 

This would be my next home if Lego were sold in the pasar malam where they are cheap and affordable. All you need is just a piece of land and some expertise in electrical wiring and also plumbing. I'm sure le hubs is well taught in that since his recent involvement in house construction. Kan syg? Hehehe. 

Anyway, jokes aside, I am currently trying hard to calculate the pros and cons of buying/owning a house or just rentals. Will buying a house would be worth it? In the sense of long term bank loans and location wise? Is it worth the price of the house with the square feet given? Will you be comfortable living in it? What if you have a big family in the future? Can it still accommodate all? Second hand house or newly built housing? Apartment or landed? Location? Theeeese are all of the major questions I had in mind about buying a house. And still now I don't have the exact answer for each question.

Regardless, I'm still homeless by the time I finished writing this and still lost in buying a house 101 journey. And now I even wonder how can people buy a house on an impulses. Like how?? Am I the only one that was thinking too much? Or are they the ones that are too rich? Maybe I need to sit down and really figure it out kot? Ntahlah...


Til then, 

XOXO

Jan & Feb Recap: Hello 2016!

Assalamualaikum

Hi guys! How has you guys been doing? I know it has been what, 3 months now since the new year?! Yeah, I have been super duper busy but I will try to recap what had happened to me this past few months in this post, okay? *long post alert* :P 

As the new year approaches, I decided to have some new goals for myself. I already had them written up the other day, but I'm not sure why there's no draft saved. Maybe there was some connection problem or something. I will update on that soon. Anyhow, I also had recently been caught up in the addiction to planner madness and all its components (washi tapes, stickers, stationaries and what nots). I even tried to do the Project Life thingy but I didn't even last a month on that hahahaha *shame on me* :P 

There's nothing much happen in January. I'll show you some photos for the recap.

Mr. A was hospitalized for a minor operation on his hand

At the summit of Bukit Perahu, Tamparuli

Gave away Oreo and kids to other people :'(

Planner date at home with Izzah :D

In February, I was supposed to have a getaway with my sister to Semporna (again!). We planned to visit Mabul Island and Bohey Dulang Island. Sadly, when we arrived in Sandakan the day before the trip, I received the news that my father-in-law had passed away that evening :( 

Truthfully, I had a mixed feeling about the news. Sad, of course, but at the same time relieved (in a good way) because arwah has been fighting with cancer for almost 2 years already and the disease has been really tough on him. May Allah grant you places among those who obey Him. InsyaAllah we will meet again in the hereafter, Abah. We missed you always. It will never be the same again without you :'( 

Coming back from Kelantan (several days after the funeral), I decided to went back to my hometown and extended my leave. Few days after that, our family was shocked by another news, that one of my second cousin is involved in an accident and died on the way to the hospital. It was really shocking because he was only in his secondary school, nobody could have foreseen that :'( but Allah is great and has infinite justice. He was the one that could determine one's life and death. As He had said in Surah Al-Munafiqun (63:11) ''But Allah will never give respite to anyone, once his appointed time will come. And Allah is All Aware of what you do''. Al-Fatihah......

After the long holiday break, I had a meeting in HQ and the weekend after that, me and Aina had a looooong road trip journey to Sandakan for the Ops Mega Denggi there. That was like the longest time I drove alone here in Sabah. I really like loooong journey, especially when I am the one who drives..hehehe. So we stayed in Sandakan up until last week actually, but no matter, i will update on that soon *pinky promise* hehehe. So, I think that's all for this post, kot? Thank you for reading :)

8 Tips to cut down your expenses and start building your savings

Assalamualaikum..

Hi guys :) Have you ever really wondered where does your money goes to every month? Do you spent it wisely? Well, I do. Previously I've tried to record all my spending of the month and discovered that most of the money went to unnecessary spending; like buying things that I don't need, and splurging myself to fancy foods and other things. For me, I don't mind having to spend money on food, but hey, why not try to cut down on eating out and save that money for something more beneficial, rite? Hehe. Plus, next year, there will be a lot of things to spend on. Services are really going to be freaking expensive T_T  Last night the gov announces that ERL fees will increase from RM35 (one way journey from KLIA2 to Kl Sentral) to RM 55. That was almost doubled! :'( Really, going back home on the weekend is not something to look forward to :( 

Anyhow, instead of complaining about things that we could not change, why not try to change ourselves to suit for the situation at hand aaand, since new year is coming, I suggest we could all add on another new year resolution for ourselves. My goal for next year is to have a saving for three times of my monthly paycheck by December 2016. It's a long way to go but if I didn't start correctly, I might get out of track easily. So, here are my 8 essential tips I would like to share to you guys on how to save more money

1. Pay off your debts. 

I put this one on the first point since I think this is the most important thing to do to saves up. Since some debt have their own interests either monthly/annually, you have to really priorities your payment schedule. For example, if you have two debts to clear out, decide which one you want to finish off first and if you want to pay both dues monthly, how much of each you will need to pay? Well, I am no experts in accounts and money, so you should seek expert advice on this. Hehe. For me, I have a student loan to pay off. I have made prior arrangement to deduct my salary monthly so that I wouldn't use the money for other things :) bijak, kan? :P

2. Set a weekly budget. 

Okay budgeting is crucial when it comes to saving money because it helps you to identify how much money you needed for certain things and how much money you can save every month. I have tried this before, and it does works. All you need is a very workable budget value (be honest with yourselves, guys) and some money of course! I set off my budget for only two types of things every week and set the allocated money for them. For me, I used an envelope system to track my spending, but you can choose any other method that suits you. 

On the back of the envelop, I wrote the date of the week, then part them into two sections. One is for food & consumables things, the other one is for other non-consumable items (i.e: parking fees, laundry, detergent etc..). For example, I put RM 120 for food every week and RM 80 for non consumable items so my weekly budget is RM 200. I wrote down every transaction that I have made on the envelop everyday. Okay this may seem tedious to others, but you can also track them using apps in your phone. No problem. Just make sure that you spend based on your budget only. 

Every Monday, you can get a new budget of RM 200 to use for that week. If let's say that you have extra money for that week, keep it in another envelope and don't use it as a carry forward. Sometimes, I overspent a little due to unforeseen circumstances, so I would take the extras money to cover up for the week. If by the end of the month you still have money leftovers (good job guys!), then put them in your saving accounts. Don't use it for next month! It really does help me to question my spending whether or not I should buy that bottle of yogurt drink, or maybe that piece of KFC chicken. Yeah, at some point you will ask yourselves silly questions like that.. :P

3. Eat at home. 

Well, isn't it obvious? hahaha. Definitely could save you lotsa simoleons guys! Hehe. During the fasting month, I cook for most of the days because 1: I don't have the time to go to Bazaar Ramadhan and 2: Because I only ate a little during breaking fast. So during that month alone, I have saved up to RM 1K. That was a lot for me, considering how easy spending I am. hahaha. But after that, I tend to cruise back into my everyday life and got carried away *tsk* 

So I've realised that cooking at home does help you to control your spending. Just imagine a plate of Nasi lemak could cost you up to RM 5, while you can easily make that at home with maybe half of the price. But, the only problem that I have is: time constraint. Well, to prep everything (thawing the chicken, peel the onions, blend the chillies, cook the rice etc etc ) took some time and hungry grumbling stomach doesn't have that kinda patience. So, I tend to tapau something before coming home, and that is not good to the wallet :( 

To overcome this problem, prep everything you need beforehand. For me, I peel my onions in bulk during the weekend, and place them inside ziplock plastic bags and store them in the fridge. I also blend my chillies in bulk and store them in a container. Whenever I bought a chicken, I cleaned and chopped them before putting inside the freezer. Some of it I did simple marinade like lemon chicken, or black pepper chicken and placed in ziplock bags. If you really want to discipline yourself in cooking at home, try meal prepping and make a meal plan so you know what you will need for that week. 

4. Revise your cable TV subscriptions. 

Okay I think this is another thing that we need to revise. Cable TV is expensive, especially when you subscribe to everything from the cooking channel all the way to the cartoon channel. Limit your choices so that you will pay less. Try to reason out whether you still need that cartoon channel or not. I don't subscribe to cable TV because I am still contemplating about it since it comes with a monthly commitment, and I thought that there's more things to spend on. Moreover, I only watch the TV on the weekends mostly. Weekday night I only watch some Korean dramas that I got from my friend, or I do some other things. Still, I can survive :P If you really can't live without TV, I suggest you cut out unnecessary channels and just subscribe to the basics only. 

5. Buy things with cash. 

Why? Because you don't want to keep being in debt. Credit cards are harmless to those that really know how and when to use it, but are very dangerous to those who didn't know how to use it and have less self control and a big background history of overspending. For me, it's simple, if you don't need it at the first place, why have it, rite? So like, if you really need to buy expensive things, like buying a cupboard or a sofa, try to save for it. Believe me you will appreciate them more. 

6. Develop a free hobby. 

Hobbies makes you forgot all the expensive things that you don't need, but wanted to buy. Been there, done that :P Hehe. So this year, I started to be active again because of several reason and surprisingly, money wasn't part of it. I had never thought that running could make me rich. No, of course it didn't, pfftt but running does help me to curb the temptation of not buying unnecessary things. Apart from making me more positive and energetic that is. Of course involving in marathons and stuff do cost you some money, but think of it as an investment to a better health and better figure and more confident you :)

7. Donate some money.

Yes, you heard me right. Donate that money! Of course not all of it, silly :P but a considering amount of it. Treat it like your investments for future funds. I do believe in the more you give, the more you will get. It is not like I aim for getting more than what I gave, but it is more of the good deeds that you did. I believe in that. Moreover, donating money doesn't make you poor. It makes yourself feels good inside. Try it first, then tell me how does it makes u feel :)

8. Save the rest.

Finally, save all that extra money you get that month. Either from the mileage and claims that you get or the extras that you get from your parents or spouse. Stop thinking that you need to finish all your money that you get that month. Start small and with an achievable amount of it. You will be surprised by how much that you have saved with so little time. Recently, I have tried to save every RM 5 note that I received. After one month of doing so, I already saved a total of RM 80! Just imagine doing that in a couple of months? Definitely, it is not that much but hey at least there's something, rite?

This is such a loooooooong post I hope you guys didn't snooze reading it. Hahaha. So I hope that these tips help you to save money in a way. I hope I am able to achieve my new year's resolution next year, InsyaAllah :) Thank you for reading! :) 

Quick update

Assalamualaikum..

Hi guys! :) Thank you for always coming back to read my blog. I could never ask for more :) hehehehe. Anyway, did you guys notice some changes on the blog? Nope?! *insert crying face* I've changed the background! Did you guys like it or not? Well, I kinda fall in love with it the first time I saw it. I got it while I happened to check on some Pinterest article today. You can check her blog here (which is pretty amayyyzing) and she has beautiful blog layout and colors so I decided to check where she got that, then I stumbled upon this blog, then minutes later I found myself downloading the beautiful flowery wreath picture. Hehehe

Anyhow, I changed everything that needed fixing and decided to have a Facebook profile page for the blog too! What do you guys think? I think in that way I could promote my blog too, but at the same time, have a different account than my personal Facebook page. That's like a win win situation, rite?:) I'll keep them updated whenever I post on new topics. Just hoping that if you guys happen to read this, feel free to like my page, okay? That's all i think for now. Thank you for reading! :)