Currently posting this from Bangi home. HOO RAY.
But of course, I'm still drowsy and sleepy and tired as hell cause Mr Jetlag wants to be my bestfriend.
My flight was on Saturday and it was one of the nicest flight I've had so far because :
But spending 13 hours in a flight is challenging. Have to think twice before they ever decided to send me anywhere again.
Regardless, I miss the people in The Hague already. Spending 3 months in a foreign place, alone, is definitely not one thing you'd enjoy - but these people made it bearable. Actually had fun with them!
Being on this trip really made me realize that I won't have any of this if it weren't for my job, and I'm eternally grateful for it. Some people have this because of their family and it means they're lucky, some luckier than others - but we have to realize that rezeki is all in God's hand. I believe that everyone has their own rezeki; regardless in what form it is. You might not get something you want but you don't know that God gave you something else; something that others would kill to have while you're busy wanting that other thing you see people have. So always be grateful for everything; for God can take it away anytime and everything is only temporary.
Some comes with even greater responsibility - and that's scary.
Now excuse me while I'm unpacking and trying to clean off all these dust in my room.
But of course, I'm still drowsy and sleepy and tired as hell cause Mr Jetlag wants to be my bestfriend.
My flight was on Saturday and it was one of the nicest flight I've had so far because :
- Had two super big luggage and the generous MAS counter guy let me sneak my hand luggage bag too, so I had 3 bags checked in. I was so worried I'd have to pay for extra kgs but apparently I didn't have too since I checked in super early, even got the "priority baggage" tag and everything! CRAZY AWESOME MAS GUY I LOVE YOU.
- So I get to bring ONLY my handbag into the flight, which means extra hand for airport tax free shopping.
- Explored Schiphol airport quite a bit
- Didn't get lost while trying to find the boarding gate (the airport is huge ok)
- Got extra time to do tax return at the counter - the queue was super long. If you've done tax return at any airport, you'd know this. Saw many Malaysians at the line, and I just realized - Malaysians really like shopping! Almost all of them have LV and Gucci and Hermes shopping bags, I'm not kidding. And I was a genius; I didn't know we have to show the purchased goods in order to refund the tax.
- Managed to get the refund tax anyway for 2 receipts out of 3 - the counter kakak was super nice. Told her I've checked in the stuff in my luggage, showed her my bag, showed her the receipts, and got 66 euro for tax refund! That's almost RM200+ :O
But spending 13 hours in a flight is challenging. Have to think twice before they ever decided to send me anywhere again.
Regardless, I miss the people in The Hague already. Spending 3 months in a foreign place, alone, is definitely not one thing you'd enjoy - but these people made it bearable. Actually had fun with them!
Truly one of the greatest crowd I've met.
Being on this trip really made me realize that I won't have any of this if it weren't for my job, and I'm eternally grateful for it. Some people have this because of their family and it means they're lucky, some luckier than others - but we have to realize that rezeki is all in God's hand. I believe that everyone has their own rezeki; regardless in what form it is. You might not get something you want but you don't know that God gave you something else; something that others would kill to have while you're busy wanting that other thing you see people have. So always be grateful for everything; for God can take it away anytime and everything is only temporary.
Some comes with even greater responsibility - and that's scary.
Now excuse me while I'm unpacking and trying to clean off all these dust in my room.
Last Saturday, I decided to allow myself some shopping after a longgg while.
(Besides, I need to get some souvenirs, don't I?)
So I paid Roermond designer outlet a visit!
Braved myself to walk a bit too far, and found it. My heaven.
Since it took 2 and a half hours to get there, I had to catch the early train back to the city so it limits to just about 2 hours to do the shopping. It was freaking impossible people. They have all these high-end stores that I wanted to go in every one of them but so little time!
Managed to grab some stuff anyway.
But I realized, it took me longer to splurge now that I'm really working. Being a student really was a great time for me as all you have to do is getting good grades and passing the papers, but there weren't really any financial stuff you have to worry about. But now that I work so hard every day doing different task and learning so many new things, I find it hard to let the hard-earned salary just go away once I swiped the card at the counter.
Growing up is really NOT FUN.
(Besides, I need to get some souvenirs, don't I?)
So I paid Roermond designer outlet a visit!
When I first reached Roermond station
Considering that this place is quite far from the city, I had to think twice before really going there. It was a 2 and a half hour journey by train, and I need to change trains once before I got to Roermond station, which is quite tiring what more at a place I'm not really familiar with. Even my colleagues didn't know where this place is!
So yeah, my main motivation was the Prada and Mulberry store there.
When I first reached there, I was stunned. It was a town but nothing like any outlet I've been to! There's this festival going on so there were so many people and kids there; most of them wearing costumes, and these guys wearing black paint on their faces and the costume. (Apparently it was a celebration in the Netherlands, Zwarte Piet; and these people are wearing costumes of him giving out presents to the kids. Kudos to him for Googling it for me.)
Braved myself to walk a bit too far, and found it. My heaven.
I've been to some of the big outlets in Japan, but none of them have Gucci or Prada or Mulberry or Salvatore Ferragamo or 7 for All Mankind!
Since it took 2 and a half hours to get there, I had to catch the early train back to the city so it limits to just about 2 hours to do the shopping. It was freaking impossible people. They have all these high-end stores that I wanted to go in every one of them but so little time!
Managed to grab some stuff anyway.
But I realized, it took me longer to splurge now that I'm really working. Being a student really was a great time for me as all you have to do is getting good grades and passing the papers, but there weren't really any financial stuff you have to worry about. But now that I work so hard every day doing different task and learning so many new things, I find it hard to let the hard-earned salary just go away once I swiped the card at the counter.
Growing up is really NOT FUN.
Wearing H&M top again (they're so nice and comfy I swear)
During one of the many tram rides, I passed by Toni & Guy which is apparently so near to the place I'm staying.
Then I saw the Kerastase ad outside Toni & Guy.
So came home with this.
I used to use this shampoo back in Nihon when I decided to color my hair and the salon people recommended this brand. Since then, I loved my hair so much taking a shower had never been so fun. It cost me around 2500 yen just for the shampoo but it was the best shampoo I've ever had! (Got the shampoo from Rakuten, of course.)
I really hate it when people have this perception that covered up girls have bad hair because of the hair not being kept properly due to hijab. Really, it annoys me to no end. So whenever I do see the girls not taking care of their hair or taking it lightly, I have this urge to tell them "you're the reason people think that!"
So please, girls, just because you cover your hair doesn't mean you can neglect taking care of your hair - and by that I mean shampoo-ing, blow-drying, trimming split ends, conditioner - because at the end of the day, you have to preserve it for your future husband so that he won't run when he sees you without hijab. And guys, just because we cover our heads doesn't mean we have limp hair. I know a lot of girls look phenomenal without their hijab on.
Point is, Kerastase is probably the best high-end shampoo I've tried; and it cost me around 20 euros here. It's probably costly for daily use, but you can skip this after a month or two and switch to regular shampoo and come back when you feel like you need a hair lift.
If Watson or Guardian ever considered stocking this brand, I'd be the happiest person on earth. Obviously not to my purse, though.
Then I saw the Kerastase ad outside Toni & Guy.
So came home with this.
I used to use this shampoo back in Nihon when I decided to color my hair and the salon people recommended this brand. Since then, I loved my hair so much taking a shower had never been so fun. It cost me around 2500 yen just for the shampoo but it was the best shampoo I've ever had! (Got the shampoo from Rakuten, of course.)
I really hate it when people have this perception that covered up girls have bad hair because of the hair not being kept properly due to hijab. Really, it annoys me to no end. So whenever I do see the girls not taking care of their hair or taking it lightly, I have this urge to tell them "you're the reason people think that!"
So please, girls, just because you cover your hair doesn't mean you can neglect taking care of your hair - and by that I mean shampoo-ing, blow-drying, trimming split ends, conditioner - because at the end of the day, you have to preserve it for your future husband so that he won't run when he sees you without hijab. And guys, just because we cover our heads doesn't mean we have limp hair. I know a lot of girls look phenomenal without their hijab on.
Point is, Kerastase is probably the best high-end shampoo I've tried; and it cost me around 20 euros here. It's probably costly for daily use, but you can skip this after a month or two and switch to regular shampoo and come back when you feel like you need a hair lift.
If Watson or Guardian ever considered stocking this brand, I'd be the happiest person on earth. Obviously not to my purse, though.
There are so many things I want to update about I don't even know where to start.
But priorities first - my flight to Malaysia is finally here. In a week's time.
That blows my mind. I mean, I've always wanted this to arrive soon ever since I reached here, 3 months ago. As much as I love being here in Amsterdam, I still feel like there's something missing - I'm working here alone, for God's sake. And Europe is no Japan.
God, how I miss Japan.
So last weekend (updating about last weekend when this weekend is almost over - that's how chronic my procrastinating is) I went to Rotterdam, a 20-minute train ride away from The Hague. Since my colleagues are all " ooh you MUST visit Rotterdam at least once" so I figured, doesn't hurt to go out alone to a foreign place other than Amsterdam once in a while.
But priorities first - my flight to Malaysia is finally here. In a week's time.
That blows my mind. I mean, I've always wanted this to arrive soon ever since I reached here, 3 months ago. As much as I love being here in Amsterdam, I still feel like there's something missing - I'm working here alone, for God's sake. And Europe is no Japan.
God, how I miss Japan.
So last weekend (updating about last weekend when this weekend is almost over - that's how chronic my procrastinating is) I went to Rotterdam, a 20-minute train ride away from The Hague. Since my colleagues are all " ooh you MUST visit Rotterdam at least once" so I figured, doesn't hurt to go out alone to a foreign place other than Amsterdam once in a while.
Autumn everywhere!
Now I understood why most Dutch people (at least the ones I've met) have been insisting that it's a must-visit city. This place is so different from all other Europe cities because of the architecture of the buildings; which comes from its modern style influences of the designers. You can see it from the design of this Erasmus bridge.
I crossed the bridge on feet!
Walked all the way to Wilhelminapier where the Hotel New York is.
Wearing the peplum top from H&M. The pieces are so nice here I'm crossing my fingers we'd have the nice ones too in KL.
And I know I should be almost immune to the cold weather now (after those 4 years in Japan) but it apparently isn't the case. It's so bloody cold even in my apartment with my heater on!
Still no snow yet, though. I'm having mixed feelings whether or not I'd be happy with snow right now.
So I went to De Bijenkorf during the last time I went to Amsterdam.
I've been hearing about the high-end European department store since the first day I reached here; so I've been looking forward to find out how it's different from Japan's Takashimaya. There's one De Bijenkorf in The Hague too but it was a disappointment for me - went looking for flats there last month, and there's one Marc by Marc Jacobs flats I had my eyes on but when the salesgirl came with my size, my heart dropped. IT WAS FREAKING BIG my small feet couldn't fit :( and it was in my size, for God's sake.
Then I knew, getting shoes here is not sensible for a petite size like me. Everything's bigger and I've been dreading the European brands and thanking God for H&Ms and MNGs and Zaras.
But De Bijenkorf in Amsterdam is way better than The Hague's - because they had the bag I've been secretly wanting since before I came here.
I've been hearing about the high-end European department store since the first day I reached here; so I've been looking forward to find out how it's different from Japan's Takashimaya. There's one De Bijenkorf in The Hague too but it was a disappointment for me - went looking for flats there last month, and there's one Marc by Marc Jacobs flats I had my eyes on but when the salesgirl came with my size, my heart dropped. IT WAS FREAKING BIG my small feet couldn't fit :( and it was in my size, for God's sake.
Then I knew, getting shoes here is not sensible for a petite size like me. Everything's bigger and I've been dreading the European brands and thanking God for H&Ms and MNGs and Zaras.
But De Bijenkorf in Amsterdam is way better than The Hague's - because they had the bag I've been secretly wanting since before I came here.
Alexander Wang Rocco bag.
This is why I should never registered at Purseblog Forum.
Picture from inthecloset.com
I was never a fan of LV Speedy bag; and it surprised me that I'd even take a look at this bag's direction since the size and shape are so similar to the iconic LV, but after seeing so many pictures of this bag on Purseblog forum - I fell in love. The leather, the studs, the simplicity, the edgyness. (Initially comes in black, mercury (white) and layenne (red/orange) color; but I think they have more colors now.)
However considering how difficult it is to get Alexander Wang in KL (anyone knows where to find one?) and due to my own lack of time and effort to find one, I gave up.
Until I saw this bag at De Bijenkorf.
Asked the salesgirl to get the lock out, looked for the nearest mirror available, tried the bag on my arms. The leather is luscious (much thicker than Balenciaga City's), the studs are amazing - but dude, it was the heaviest bag I've ever tried on. So heavy that I thought the stuffings were the culprit so I asked the salesgirl to take them all out - still heavy. I can't imagine toting this bag around all day on my shoulder, let alone on my arms!
So with an equally heavy heart, I returned the bag to the salesgirl. Instantly relieved that I didn't order the bag online - I would have to return the bag if I ever bought it.
But really, I still think this bag is high up there on my favorite list; but I need to grow a new muscle or something to carry the bag. How the Olsen twins managed to carry the bag with their petite size is beyond me.
But Purseblog did buy one and returned it because of the very same reason as mine - so I must've done the right thing.
Last weekend, I took the liberty of going out by myself and exploring the city a bit.
Since last visit covered most of the places and museums, I decided to just based on my map and see how far my feet can take. Walked along the streets and canals all the way from the central station!
And guess where my feet took me. The mall.
Bought some souvenirs and proceeded to the Dam Square.
It's difficult to go anywhere in this city for so long nowadays cause it's been raining everyday and you know, carrying umbrella while sight-seeing is not fun. Since I'll be going back to Malaysia in 2 weeks, I know I'll be missing this city a lot so I'm trying to soak up everything that this city has to offer - but I still feel like there are so many places I haven't been to yet!
But really, this city is awesome. Still can't beat Paris, though.
Since last visit covered most of the places and museums, I decided to just based on my map and see how far my feet can take. Walked along the streets and canals all the way from the central station!
And guess where my feet took me. The mall.
De Bijenkorf in Amsterdam. It's Amsterdam's version Mitsukoshi or Takashimaya in Japan. Except that the brands they carry are much, much better than Takashimaya, I swear.
Will blog about that later.
And across the street, there's the Madame Tussauds! Where I made some friends.
Princess Diana! Her wax figure is soo tall I refused to take picture with her. But so beautiful.
George Clooney.
Nicolas Cage.
I just realized 90% of the people here are really not from my generation.
This is not my favorite couple, and I'm not thrilled that I have to see them here.
One from my generation, and it's Lady Gaga. Now I realized everything that's wrong in today's system.
Rob Pattinson. This aunty is a die-hard fan of his; she took pictures with him for almost 20 minutes I'm not kidding.
The process.
Oh hello there George Bush.
In the world leaders section.
I swear this Madonna freaked me out.
My former crush.
And..found my lover.
T-shirts. Everytime I found these souvenir shops I'm really tempted to buy these shirts but I KNOW I won't be wearing them that often. My HRC shirts from Japan are still in my wardrobe, really.
Bought some souvenirs and proceeded to the Dam Square.
The famous Grasshopper. Going straight is the Red Light District and I'm still a chicken to pay the famous district a visit, alone.
It's difficult to go anywhere in this city for so long nowadays cause it's been raining everyday and you know, carrying umbrella while sight-seeing is not fun. Since I'll be going back to Malaysia in 2 weeks, I know I'll be missing this city a lot so I'm trying to soak up everything that this city has to offer - but I still feel like there are so many places I haven't been to yet!
But really, this city is awesome. Still can't beat Paris, though.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Media