i just had some nice me time window shopping and did some shopping today.

it has been quite a while really. my friday me times are usually spending time at my PV home, watching movies or catching up on series, reading, and if i feel motivated a bit, perhaps a dip at the jacuzzi pool (coz i don’t know how to swim), or, once in a blue moon, a visit to the gym.

so today, gather all the rajin-ness in me and went all the way to orchard. what gives me the drive, though, are the krispy kremes original glazed donuts and famous amos cookies i have been thinking of the whole week!

although the main agenda was to search for a good pair sneaker shoes that i can wear for my upcoming iceland trip. it was a difficult search really. i thought i could find something at orchard/somerset. perhaps i wasnt so good with the area in the first place. i went to cineleisure coz there’s a sneakers boutique leftfoot. i didnt find what i want there but the guys there were quite helpful and friendly. gave me some inputs like material of the sneakers and the soles suitable for winter. in a way, i saved the $200 budget for shoes for now.

they did suggest timberland boots, which everyone also mentions the same when i asked about what’s good for winter. but i thought i want to move away from using the brand. its expensive for one thing, and im worried that i will not be able to get the leather boots worn enough so that it doesnt hurt my feet and gave me blisters. i cannot get blisters on this trip because i need to be up and about and comfortable. so i thought sneakers would be a better option, i just need something for winter.

i ended up going into royal sporting house at 313 and found a brand called merrell. sneakers looks tough and they have this info cards ‘multi water’ and ‘multi hike’ so i suppose they are the next best option for me. although the price is a bit on the high side, perhaps because it’s at Orchard, so im going to try check out other Royal Sporting House at neighbourhood malls and maybe compare prices. i mean if i can save a few dollars why not?

on the sidetrack, i visited Kinokuniya and alas, bought some books. but believe me, they are books i dont find at Popular stores and they are authors i loved and as i mentioned in my instagram, they are just irresistible. but in a way, i pride myself by not hoarding and buying just any other books. i spent quite a while there at Kino. i saw many Man booker longlist books on display and so many others which looks interesting, of course the YAs too, but i have managed to stop myself and actually took time to check out three websites before deciding whether to get them or not. i checked Goodreads for ratings and one or two reviews, i checked Book Depository to compare prices, and NLB catalogue to check if they are even available in the local libraries. quite updated lah NLB. and as of now, i have about 6 books on reservation because i couldnt help myself! at least it’s only $1.50 per book/reserve. these are books which look and sound interesting but i was not sure if whether i will love the book.

i have decided on a protocol on this. if i can get the book from the library, i will borrow it first and if i find myself loving it die hard, then i will purchase it. if i think i can wait for some time, i get it online from book depository because of free shipping and i love that the prices are usually lower than anywhere else. but if i think i cannot wait, i will get them physically. but it doesnt have to be from Kino, maybe next time i could try indie bookstores around the island.

but look at those books. such lovelies. i cannot help thinking, it’s even colour coordinated with my bedsheet 😛

tiring day nevertheless, but the trip to kino and madewithlove makes me happy. that’s another thing, spending on planner stickers. i mildly swear i do not need to buy anymore stickers from etsy at the moment. but anyway, i rarely go to these places, so i hope its spending worth of 6 months’ supply of stickers….and books. already i have a stack of books waiting to be transferred to PV shelves.

i have never thought i would ever ever see them live. and here they are. for their 25th year in the music industry.

the moment i found out they are coming to perform here, i asked my hubbylove for permission, he said ok and i immediately bought a pair of tix, with full knowledge that i will be going on my own if no one else is going.

i probably should have been more alert with friends, because apparently there were who might be interested, if i had asked. turned out one of the babes was quite a fan. who eventually bought a tix (luckily managed to get a seat next to each other). and a petal too. i should have kind of at least asked. i felt bad though.

but i was used to going to concerts on my own. i did for NOAH. that was a last minute tix some more!

but anyway, i totally enjoyed Kru’s concert. the fans were great, the boys were entertaining and humourous. i loved and sang to all their songs, i was quite surprised i remembered the lyrics quite well too, haha.

they performed some major fave songs, in fact a lot of their songs are major faves, but they couldnt perform all, could they? there’s Awas, Negatif, Mengerti, Untukmu Sayang (so happy they sang this!), Fanatik, Jangan Lafazkan (this too!!). it seems like everytime they sang a song, the fans went crazy! they still sang good in LIVE but can definitely see they don’t or maybe can’t dance so much. lol. they tried. i know. but it’s ok Kru, the concert’s still perfect. and major expected surprise! Lisa, Yusry’s wife danced in Ooh La La! why it is expected, well i kinda hoping i would see Lisa somewhere in the concert, maybe at the VIP seat or something. but it was made sweeter when she came out as one of the dancers. such a cute couple both Yusry and Lisa, and humble too. they are so made for each other.

a sweet highlight is just when Edry actually looked up at our side of the seats and waved at us. i could pengsan just then, because he has always been my fave brother.

it was nice and lovable, sweet memory, bringing me back to my childhood years. so many of us there grew up listening to their songs. its fantastic fanatic.

Kru – Checked
Noah- Checked
Take That- Checked
The Cranberries- Checked
Ellie Goulding- Checked
Muse- Checked
Ella (& Awie)- Checked
MCR- Checked and it’s where i started

even Sami Yusuf- Checked 😉

being the reader and library goer that i am, i was aware of the national reading movement going on but was not able to follow through the updates of events happening leading to this day. so apparently it is National Reading Day organized by the NLB! i love anything reading!

so it surprised me, pleasantly, when during a meeting, mosques were encouraged to participate in one of the initiatives, read for books, which quite simply, for every 10 persons who reads for 15 minutes, a book will be donated to needy families. i said ok let’s try to do this! it was quite short notice actually, but in my mind, if it can be done, we’ll try.

but alas, i had to go for my wisdom tooth surgery, in pain and on mc. i was not able to give proper information to the students and parents. all week, i was quite sad for not being able to resolve it.

being me, i cannot let it go just like that, i could explain to the teachers but i do not want my coordinators to feel obligated to do it but end up not properly done. so i decided, ok, on Saturday, the last day of submission, i will brave myself to drop by at the mosque after taking out my stitch coz its not supposed to be a bloody procedure. even if its a few classes, its ok, effort is there.

what i didnt prepare myself for was the gum treatment i had to go through and that my lower gums and lips will be numbed for about 2-3 hours! the treatment itself was pretty much done in 30 minutes, but i was numbed! still fine, i will still go to the mosque, in time for the second session.

with the numbness still there, at least i can hear my voice speaking, i went in to classes, and promote the programme. the students were so supportive, that while one or two have a storybook of their own, the rest took books from the mosque’s library to read. i mean for 10-15 minutes. and it is done! i love the students for being so fun and supportive about it, i don’t mind doing this regularly! lol.

alhamdulillah, i just hope their efforts are being recognized. i had to submit some pictures and a form on that same saturday. i wished i could have done it on a bigger scale but it is a good start. hopefully, if there’s similar future events, i will be able to prepare better and coordinate for bigger scale.

so ya, happy #nationalreadingday !