Spicy Ramen Noodles.. Tested.

I never really knew what the big deal was with spicy ramen noodles but I remember noticing it once Buzzfeed made a video of daring its staff to eat them. Few days later, I went to Jaya Grocer with Syazreen and there was only one huge packet of it and a cup left. I was sceptical to try and buy it and at that time, the both of us weren't really sure if it was the real spicy ramen everyone was raving about - so we bought yogurt instead, lol.

The next thing I know, almost every week, at least one of my friends on Snapchat were doing the challenge. From those studying in Australia, Malaysia and till the United States.. that was it. I had to try it. I had to know whether it was as good and as spicy as everyone said it was! 

Picture courtesy of Google - if you're interested to buy a pack, find Samyang Spicy Chicken Stir Fry Noodles.. and yes. There's a Halal logo on it. Ignore the rumours.

The plan was to try it with Syaz. However, she ended up buying it first with her friends in college (boo). That night, when she tried it, she told me it was (and I quote), "pedas gila nak mampus". She sent pictures of how sweaty her face was after trying the noodles.. so ok, the next day I went to Giant to find a packet or at least a cup. But to no avail, my search was a failure. 

It was not until yesterday, out of casual randomness, I texted I'zaz if he wanted to go find them with me. The next thing I knew, he picked me up and we were on our way to Jaya Grocer. "What will happen if you don't find it there?" he asked, "Well we'll go to Warta then". "If it's not in Warta?" this time he was snickering hoping my mission would yet again be a failure.. "well.. then I'll burn both of them down" (obviously I was joking around, don't take it seriously please hehe). This time, luck was on my side cause apparently Jaya Grocer had recently restocked their spicy ramen noodles so there was a variety of them! From small cups, big cups to the ones in packets! I bought a bundle, which consists of five packets and gave I'zaz one packet to try. We had sushi for lunch and as soon as I got home, I made myself a bowl of spicy ramen.

My verdict?

Well.. they weren't kidding when they said it is really, really, spicy.

The first few bites I was still strong. It tasted somewhat like kimchi but you could slowly feel the spicy tang burn your tongue and eventually... burn your whole mouth. I didn't like it at first, but after the third bite, it tasted quite okay. Since the whole purpose of the "Spicy Ramen Challenge" was to eat it without drinking any water, I was practically sweating and catching interval breathes to finish the whole bowl (!!!). But once I did, I ran to my fridge and gulped a whole bottle of cold water but it wasn't enough to make the spicyness go away. I ate a few slices of papayas, and still my mouth wasn't ok. I decided to just take an ice cube and put it on my tongue.. and that was how I was.. for about 15 minutes or so. 

Anyway, I would rate the spicy ramen a 6.5/10. Definitely something I'd eat when I'm hungry and have no other choice since I must say, they are really filling! Once you get the hang of it, they can be quite delicious too! Today I made a bowl for lunch and I added some cheese and fried an egg. I even put a bit of sweet soy sauce and it was so, so good. Try making your own little hybrid versions of spicy ramen!

I would upload a video of me eating them for the first time (which I did record by the way), but.. meh. I think I'll do another challenge video with one of my friends one day, hehe.

#B4L Road Trip To Johor Bahru

Just for the sake of fulfilling Pau's cravings, we headed off to Johor Bahru on Friday night. We - meaning the five of us, Helena, Amalina, I'zaz, Pau (duh) and I. After pumping our petrol and filling the car tyres, we left Bandar Seri Putra around 9.45 PM and reached Pau's kampung near Larkin around 1 AM. On the way, we made a brief stop to rest and have supper at Pagoh. I had my favourite Mee Rebus while the rest had Nasi Lemak.

There weren't many cars on the road so it was a smooth journey. 

The next morning, we woke up early to have breakfast at a stall near Pau's kampung. They were known for having various types of lontongs and rendang. It was a buffet style restaurant. Helena and I'zaz both had lontong kering, I had lontong basah (my favourite!!), Pau had roti arab and Amalina.. well she had fried macaroni, hahaha. 

(R-L) Lontong Kering, Lontong Basah and Roti Arab.

I planned to meet my Aunt and Uncle to pass some stuff but by the time they reached the area, we were already on our way to Jusco Bukit Indah. Literally had a drugstore make up and skincare shopping spree in their Watsons before heading off to the Jakel in Angsana. Personally, the Jakel in Shah Alam is waaaaaay better. We were already hungry for lunch by then as well, so we headed off to Warong Siput Sedut which was in the area.

The fish was so, so fresh! 

According to Pau, the place is known for its variety of asam pedas dishes and of course, it's siput sedut masak cili api. It was indeed delicious! I thought their fish was fresh - both the fried and the one in the asam pedas. I'm not much of a fish fan but I helped to finish it clean, hehe. Next stop, Jalan Dhobby! 

Jalan Dhobby has so many hipster cafes! We passed by a few interesting ones. However, as recommended by my friend, Filzah, we went to Kone since the weather was blinking hot at that time and we needed something to chill our throats. 

Kone is a one and half storey yogurt cafe. They serve their yogurts with cornflakes in the cup and for extra presentation - dry ice to make it look cool (!!!). I ordered the Matcha Green Tea yogurt. At first I thought the white balls were longans but they were actually glutenous rice balls which I loooove. We had to chill longer than expected in the cafe since it was starting to pour outside. As it was getting heavier for us to walk to our car, we took pictures in front of another cafe two blocks away called The Replacement. Was too full to try their food though it seemed to be a hit since people were practically queuing to get a table.

We went to Kilang Batteri after Pau and I'zaz both managed to get the car. However I wasn't too satisfied. There were a lot of independent label stores and Instagram shops but some were pretty overpriced. However, I would say that some independent label stores had really, really nice tees but they were over my budget to purchase. There was also a cereal cafe at their food court but was too full to try it out. Headed back to Pau's kampung to rest for a bit before heading to the market to buy the so-called famous #1 murtabak cheese in Malaysia. 

When I wanted to take pictures, the Pak Cik asked me to help make them viral of Facebook, lol.

We packed our murtabak cheese to eat at the foodcourt near Bomba since we wanted to have it with our Ais Jelly Bandung Special..

.. & of course, Kacang Pol. 

After filling up our tummies yet again, we headed to a funfair near Danga Bay. Well.. we thought it was a lively funfair. The last funfair I went was in Port Dickson and it was so lively! This one.. was disappointing. However, we did spend RM 10 on a Pirate Ship ride which was hilarious since the four of them were afraid of heights and I was the only one who wasn't. I kept recording their faces and posted it on Snapchat, lol. But.. the Pirate Ship basically killed our heads since we were all dizzy and some of us felt like throwing up after that, hahaha.

I've always wanted a bow headband which would light up! Oh, and if you can see at the back there people were playing with hover boards. We saw two people tragically fall from them.. heeeh.

Finally, we had drinks at Sea&Saw while waiting for Pasar Karat to open. We played a few games to kill time (eg: Never Have I Ever using still water as 'shots' hahahah). While we were there a man also proposed to his girlfriend (!!!) Being typical joyahs we got to witness the whole thing - and I accidentally spilt I'zaz drink but fret not, I paid him back hahaha. I didn't try the food but.. please don't order the rosehip tea. I didn't like it, hehe.

The place is pretty chill and their playlist was my type of songs - so overall I loved the ambience!

An actual proposal, heee. At first, the girls inside gave her roses before he came in. She cried.. and almost everyone in the restaurant was recording it. 

Few appetizers available to order outside. However, this one is self-service. Meaning if you sit inside.. you go out and order. 

That was the end of the main agenda of our trip. After Sea&Saw, we headed to Pasar Karat. I was searching for cheap football jerseys but none of them caught my eye. I did, however, did henna! I wanted to do in white but the lady said white only lasts for a day so I did it in black instead. It was cheap, only RM 15 per hand. 

We went back to Pau's kampung, slept and left for Bangi around noon. Tok Mak (Pau's grandmother) made us Nasi Lemak which was so, so delicious. Did some shopping at Johor Premium Outlet and we stopped at Pagoh, again, for late lunch. It was such a fun road trip! I had fun singing in the car and testing out my new toy. I'm actually really, really tired right now but I decided to finish off this post tonight before properly resting. So till next time, goodnight! 

... And I Was Hooked.

If I was given a chance to describe one characteristic of my friend, Filzah (at the moment) it would be an Obsessive Joong Ki Fan; which at first, I did not quite understand why - but now I do.

It all started last Monday when the girls (Filz, Lin, Lia) and I went to Plaza Damas for late lunch and a karaoke session. Lin had just came back from Seoul, South Korea, so she was excited to tells us about her trip and give us our souvenirs. From skincare, make ups to cafes and army suited men - at first, I didn't understand a thing. I wasn't a huge fan of K-Pop like Lin and Filz (Lia was just lost, hahaha). I mean, occasionally I'd listen to a few Korean favourites (CNBlue is my favourite K-pop band, iKon, Zion-T are a few that I listen to) and watch a few Korean shows (The Heirs was actually how Filzah and I be got close!!). But it was something occasional, so when the whole Descendent's of The Sun craze started to spread - I was not really bothered, lol.

But Filzah on the other hand went to Obsessive Joong Ki Fan on a whooooole other level (!!!). She'd copy paste Joong Ki's photos on her little brother's face (apparently their the same height hhahaha) and she'd smile just looking at Joong Ki as her wallpaper. She squealed and stopped her car by the roadside when she knew Lin had bought her a Joong Ki blanket. Yes, it was up to that point. Her obsessive fan syndrome was chronic. So clueless and curious me just had to find out "what's all the buzz with this Joong Ki guy?", "is Descendent's of The Sun really that good?!".

So I did... and boy, what happened to me..

I watched the first two episodes with Amir on Skype. Even by the first episode I was already making comments:
"Are doctors in Korea all pretty? Lies, cannot be!", "Aisyah, it's just a drama".
"Omg, comelnya dia leave the girl naik helicopter. Why don't you ever pick me up in a helicopter?", "Really...... (facepalm silence)"

The next morning, I found myself watching episode three.. episode four.. and the next episode, the episode after.. and come episode eleven, I was hooked. I kept texting Filzah in capital letters asking her so many questions and voicing my opinions. When I watched episode thirteen's ending? It was 11.45AM and I called Amir, sobbing, because I didn't understand what I did to deserve such a cliffhanger ending? What did I do to be so addicted and emotionally disturbed by this drama?! They had good plots and were always making me wonder what would happen next. Thank God Korean dramas are not like Pinoy dramas which go on for at least a hundred episodes, I only have 16 episodes of dramatic whirlwinds to handle - for I cannot imagine, feeling how episode thirteen left me again.

See this is why I avoid Korean dramas (!!!). They don't give me time to emotionally recover before slamming me again with another depressing or frustrating scene - but they're so addictive.. its confusing.

However, I'm more drawn to the second couple (Dae-Young and Myeong-Joo). Their relationship is so complicated and I love how Dae-Young shows his love and affection towards Myeong-Joo. I somehow think their relationship is more complex plus the additional problems such as safety, distance and father's disapproval - I mean, Shi-Jin and Dr. Mo-Yeon's problems, to me aren't as much as what Dae-Young and Myeong-Joo have to face. During the earlier episodes, I wished Dr. Mo-Yeon would just realize, snap out of it and just accept Shi-Jin cause he's the one who's willing to risk more here compared to her - but oh whatever, I got my eyes on Dae-Young (Filzah can swoon over her Capt. Yoo Shi-Jin in peace, hehehe).

Anyway, I've seen episode fourteen already. Woke up around 5.30 AM to watch the episode and of course, though it ended on a happy note, the preview for episode fifteen is yet again - giving me cliffhanger syndrome. So I thought by typing this post, I'd be able to let my loose and free.. until next Thursday. Lol, I hope no one dies. ☹

Why Hello There, Silver Baby.

… by baby, I mean a new camera that is, lol.

I got my first ever proper camera at the age of fourteen. My dad bought me a Canon 1000D after numerous pleading and persuasion. It was the most basic, and cheapest DSLR at that time. I was drawn into photography because I loved the process of developing and editing photos. My hobby has always been to tweak pictures on Photoshop and creating my own actions. Eventually, thanks to uni, my hobby grew and I expanded my interest in more photo and video editing softwares such as Lightroom, Illustrator and Final Cut Pro.

I’ve been eyeing to get a new camera since I’m about to leave for Cardiff in a few months. I would love to take my current baby, the Canon 700D but its too bulky. I’ve been trying to find something smaller, compact yet has the quality and functionalities which can compete with a DSLR. A mirrorless camera - one which can produce good pictures and videos as well (since I’m planning for my lifestyle and travel vlogs once I’m there.. if I have the time to juggle that and my studies then why not? Right?! Hehuhehu). 

At first, I wanted a Fujifilm XT-100. I loved the quality of Nadine Lustre’s shots and was semi-convinced by YouTube reviews that a Fujifilm would be my choice. However, I thought it was too expensive for something which offered basic functionalities that most cameras did. I was juggling between a Fuji and an Olympus when I friend of mine recommended the Sony A6000. So I did more research; read reviews, tested the camera myself and asked around. I began to talk to my dad about is as well since he's a photography junkie, like myself (coughs). However, he didn't react much because I guess he knew that it was going to be yet another investment he had to make, lol.

Today, I randomly got a text from my dad asking me what camera I had my eye on. I told him about the A6000 and he asked me what other choices I had. I told him my choices, but I was also convinced that the A6000 was the best choice.

Few hours later, I was watching TV with my mum when my dad came home. Didn't really bother to see him come in since I was basically too caught up with the movie and that was when he suddenly said, "Nah adik. Your graduation present". He handed me a Sony Alpha paper bag and I literally squealed! Immediately, I opened the bag and there it was - my new baby, a silver Sony A6000.

I haven't thought of a name for her yet.. soon. 

Forever grateful for having parents whom both, always support and are willing to invest in their children's hobbies (!!). I have a bunch of trips coming up (starting with a road trip to Johor with my friends tomorrow) so this baby, will definitely be put to good use. Most importantly, I have one item ticked off my "Things To Bring To Iceland" list, so I'll definitely be snapping pretty shots there! Heee.

#OOTD: First Day of April

Black shawl made by myself / Black top from Summershop / Necklace bought from some random thrift store in Camden Lock yearsssssss ago / Olive Culottes from Anggun Clothing / Heels from Charles & Keith / Bag from Michael Kors. 

Lunch date with Filzah today - in commemoration of her successful stint with Company K! We tried out a small Japanese restaurant in Plaza Damas 3 called Uokatsu. They're known for having Mentai Race Bowls - so we ordered one each, with one potato salad, cold ocha for her and roasted barley tea for me. Honestly... I was disappointed. Too pricey for such a small, and I mean very, very small, serving.

Anyway... moving on to a happier note. I think I've fallen in love with culottes. I found this Instagram shop called Anggun Clothing by random and since they were having a promotion, I decided to buy two pairs from them; one in olive (the one I'm wearing) and a plain black pair. They're so comfy, opaque and versatile! I've tried various outfit combinations and I cannot wait to wear them out, hehe. Have a good weekend everyone! x