AT THE SPEED OF NOOR

Just some Grab (an e-hailing car service) stories: 1. I had to wait The other day, the Grab I requested was stuck in traffic, which meant that what was supposed to be a 10-minute ride turned into a half-hour wait. When the driver finally arrived at the pickup point, he apologised profusely for the delay, all the while calling himself 'Uncle'. He looks like he's probably just a few years older than me though. I was about to correct him when I remembered how male Grab drivers tend to get chatty/intrusive when you are friendly to them, so I just shrugged it off. Does he genuinely think I'm his daughter's age or is this a new strategy to attract customers or something? 😅 2. He had to wait Had to Grab to the office today. I accidentally left something behind while walking towards the car, so I apologised profusely to the driver - a man who looks like he's around my father's age - for making him wait.  Him: "Tak perlu, lady boss jangan cakap sorry" (No ...

It took over 2 decades for me to be diagnosed with ADHD.  On one hand, I'm relieved that I wasn't imagining my intellectual/mental/emotional struggles, and that I'm not alone in this. On the other, I'm angry that I've been punished/mocked all this while for things beyond my control, because my brain just works different. While I am fortunate to have parents who made sure I got extra support in my education because they saw I couldn't learn like other kids, I still grew up beating myself up for not being able to focus and be calm/punctual/organised/etc like other people (which makes me work harder so that I can 'function normally', causing me to be anxious all the time). Somehow I survived being neurodivergent in an ableist world... but at what cost?

Oto-Na-Ri revolves around 2 neighbors who only 'communicate' with one another through their connecting paper-thin wall. One is a photographer and the other is a floral designer, both passionate about (and en route to) pursuing their dreams. The Basics Movie: Romantic Prelude / Oto-na-ri / おと・な・り Director: Naoto Kumazawa Release Date: May 16, 2009 Runtime: 119 min. Genre: Drama / Romance / Youth Language: Japanese Country: Japan Source: Asianwiki My Review A pithy review doesn't do the movie justice, imo.  I almost wish I could rewatch it and do a thorough literary analysis about the depth and portrayals of its characters, the framing of scenes, the metaphors and symbolisms, the music/sound effects, the pace, the colors, the writing. It feels like I just watched a recorded version of a 2-hour play performed on an elaborate (real-world) stage.  It's beautiful in its plainness and hits like a mild slow-brew, leaving me with a lasting, satisfying aftertaste. The ending was ...

I've gushed about this Webtoon series last year while it was ongoing, and after months of not reading Webtoons, I learnt today that the series is complete so I read till the end and decided to write a review on it.

Huda and I haven't been able to organise any physical MY Artjamming sessions in months, so when my childhood friend Yas (also a regular for MYAJ), asked if there would be an artjamming session for the new year, Huda reached out to a few regulars to ask if we were up for a virtual artjam. Yes!, of course we were.

A long-time friend who knows me better than most people recently told me (as I was writing down our food order) that the way I held the pen reminded me of the way I drew when we were younger, and how she wished she could draw like me. Context: She's a professional painter and has been in numerous exhibitions, so while I appreciated her sweet compliment/gesture, I can't bring myself to believe her. Not because she has ever lied to me or anything — what she said just doesn't make sense to me. I wish my brain wouldn't distort my thoughts and make me doubt the good things people who care about me say about me. This isn't about learning to accept praise. It's learning to believe that you do have value to people who care about you. That some people like you being in their lives, and can accept you as you are even when you are told many times before that nobody would. Now I'm crying again. I'm going to sleep this off tonight.

In February 2020, before the COVID-19 hit Malaysia, KLSketchNation was tasked with painting a 30,000sqft mural at an apartment buidling in Kuala Lumpur.  The project took 12 straight days, and over 20 local artists! The theme is stars, hence the design being based on past and current celebrities and public figures. I only managed to help on my days off, but some of my friends were there on most days. It was tiring, but it was also a pretty fun experience. Check out the process video below to see the before, during, and after! :) Last Updated: 2022-12-01