AT THE SPEED OF NOOR

Artworks by a few KL Sketch Nation members - namely Hakym , Jerome , and Syah Daud - were being exhibited at LOOP Hotel , so as part of the launch, we had a sketchwalk activity around the vicinity of the hotel. Of course, a road trip was in order, so the KLSN team went to see the sights, sounds, and tastes of Penang!

On day 1 of 2020, some  KL Sketchnation  friends and I decided to have a simple picnic to celebrate the new year. It wasn't anything fancy - we were basically just hanging out at the river - but it was the most fun New Year's I've ever had. (Credit: Anonymous child, using Hakym's phone)

Ipoh offers a good time for both the relaxed and the restless as it can appeal to those looking for things to see in the city as well as those looking for things to do out in nature. For most of my life, I saw Ipoh as a stopover point when travelling along the north-south highway in Peninsular Malaysia, but the first time I properly went for a trip, I knew I had to return. And I did... in the same month, in fact. :) White water rafting!

Krabi is a hot destination among Malaysians, so when my friend J  asked if I wanted to go anywhere for my birthday (she'd pay for my airfare as a birthday gift), we eventually settled on Krabi after hearing reviews about the place . Krabi was so kind to us when we were there: amazing weather, wonderful food, and barely any hickups in our plans. What seemed like a spur-of-the-moment decision turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences in my life. The view from the Tiger Cave Temple summit

Tokyo was one of the very few cities in the world that I've always felt a strong need to visit, most likely due to my fond childhood/adolescent days of being surrounded by the dreamyness, thoughtfulness, and/or weirdness of Japanese comics, music, and TV shows. I was so excited+anxious about the thought of being in Tokyo that I started mapping out all the places I wanted to go to in in the Tokyo first (before all the other places we were supposed to visit in the country), even though it was actually our last city, haha. We were in Tokyo for only a few days, so I knew even before we got to Tokyo that I wouldn't be able to cover all the spots I wanted to visit, but it was enough to pique my interest to come back! Imperial Gardens in Tokyo

Nara is about  an hour's drive from Kyoto . Located in the Kansai region, it is home to many beautiful temples and shrines,  and, like Kyoto, cultural/historical sites. If you're curious to see the more (agri)cultural side of Japan, Nara is a wonderful choice.

Kyoto was once upon a time Japan's capital, before Tokyo. It is a charming historical city well-known for its temples, shrines, and eyegasmic landscapes. My family and I went to Kyoto on the same day we went to Nara . Our tour group spent (only!) the morning here though, which is obviously not enough. The trip was a nice teaser for another trip to Kyoto, I suppose.

Osaka is the first city in Japan I set foot in, which is good, because unlike metropolitan Tokyo ( which I went to a few days after ), Osaka felt suburban and rather laidback. Located in the Kansai province, it's famous for being a place where you can find good food and funny people. It's a lovely start to experiencing Japan.

If Cambridge were a person, I imagine the city to be a beauty with brains. 50km north of London, the city boasts exquisite architecture, gorgeous natural surroundings, and generations of scholars produced by the local colleges all grouped under the world-famous Cambridge University. When ISH Travel Club promoted their cycling tour here, I was intrigued. The day trip was short, but it was fun nonetheless as we breezed around the city to learn of its history, traditions, and quirky rituals.

Catania, Sicily’s second largest city, lies on the Ionian Sea and around Mt. Etna (“A Muntagna” as the locals call it), a massive mountain which has shaped the history and the actual existence of the city. This beauty and fertile grounds of Catnia has attracted travellers, artists, poets, and philosophers for centuries. In 2014, I was very lucky to visit this city with ISH Travel Club,  and we managed to see the main Sicily town as well as venture further out in Taormina and its vicinities. View from Castelmola, a quaint hilltop village atop Taormina

During autumn of 2011, I visited New York with my family and some family friends for about a week. Although this was a few years after 9/11, and the number of stories I hear about  Islamophobia  has decreased by then, I was pretty anxious; were there really fewer cases?, did prejudice/discrimination against Muslims still persist but merely change form?, were there just fewer reports? It didn't help that getting the tourist visa to enter USA itself was a daunting experience, so I was expecting a rollercoaster ride before, during, and after the trip.

Malaysia has a lot to offer, but we are (or I believe, should be ;P) best known for our fantastic food, the richness of our cultural diversity and history, and the beauty of our flora and fauna.

I went to Japan for the first time in my life in late autumn of 2016. Japan was one of the countries I've always wanted to visit, so I was incredibly excited+anxious for weeks leading to the trip!

Although I grew up consuming mostly media from the US, and I had a few friends (irl as well as online) from the country, it's hard to pin down what/how I feel about it. USA is usually portrayed as being loud, proud, and crowded. This may not paint an accurate picture of its citizens in all the states, but tbh I did feel equally intrigued and intimidated by the people there.