I have been really inactive as of this year, so I wanted to at least end this year with writing something productive. So here's my last post of 2016, just a short message that I want to share with people on how to treat others.

One of the reasons I was inactive in this year was due to me trying to deal with people that constantly tried to bring me down, whether intentionally or unintentionally. I was depressed and hopeless in most time of the year, but it made me become more mature. I learned that how you treat people, reflects how you want to be treated by others. I just wish that people realise this.

Respect, trust and love need to be earned. You don't get it simply just like that. If you want people to respect, trust and love you, you need do the same: towards yourself and others. You don't demand to be respected when you yourself don't respect other people's feelings. There are a lot of people around me that complains that others do not respect them, but in the first place, were they even respectful? 

I am not saying I am the nicest person, I sometimes act like sh*t too. One thing that I'm sure of is that, whenever people start to act differently to me, instead of demanding what they want from me, I try to reflect back on my actions. If I'm wrong, I'll apologise. If I'm not at fault, well, normally I just stay silent. I'm not the type to confront people when I have things to say; I just let go. But recently, things are getting out of hand. The people around me, my own friends that I've put my trust in, start to become different. Fights happen, cold treatments take place instead of friendliness. 

I'm tired of handling people that constantly demands what I want from them, and people that are just plainly hypocrite. I've vowed to treat myself better, to only keep positive vibes, so when people around me started to act negatively, I have no choice but to stand up and leave. I've had enough of people leaving me, so I'm not afraid to lose anything. How you treat me reflects how you want to be treated; so if you treat me like bullsh*t, that's when I stop caring. 

It's easy. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Stop hurting others' feelings, stop demanding when you won't even compromise, stop saying things that you don't actually mean. Even the people that you hate have feelings. Everyone have feelings. Every human makes mistakes. Reflect and be a better person.



Till next time ♡ Love, Maira

It's my birthday! I finally turned a year older, which means that I have to increase the level of my maturity. Turning 19 means a lot to me. This will be the last year I'll be regarded as a teen, next year will be a total new experience for me in becoming an adult. I'm not ready to become an adult, but then again, who is? Becoming adult means getting more responsibilities and more challenges. I may not be ready, but I'm excited to see what kind of person I'm going to become. 

First of all, I'd like to say multiple bazillion thank you(s) and gratitude to both my parents, Shamsul Bahrain and Noraini for giving birth and taking care of me since I was born till this very day. I know that I've been a quite problematic case of a daughter (compared to my other sisters), and it means everything that you both were always there to support me. I don't ever want to lose you and I promise that I will grow up to be a daughter that you can be proud of! I'll study hard and get a good job so that when you're both are old, I can take care and give you both a good and relaxing life. I love you so much, Umi and Abi ♡

To my sisters, Khadijah and Sumayyah, you both are the best sisters and girlfriends that I could ever have. I know that all these years you both had to deal with my temper (sudden screams, banging the door close, jelingan maut, etc.), I'm very thankful that you both still love me despite those happening. Thank you for your beautiful birthday messages, I really did cry after reading them because god, I just miss both of you and Umi Abi a lot. Thank you to my family for calling me this morning to sing me a happy birthday song. I have never felt so loved before ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

To all my girlfriends (and some guy friends, since I can basically count you all), the ones from Kulim, Shah Alam and Terengganu, my current beloved housemates, my gang in TTDI, my lovely soul sister, Hyeo, and other girlfriends on my social networks, thank you for all your birthday wishes. I may not say this a lot but I love and appreciate all of your existence. Thank you for dealing and tolerating with this crazy person, thank you so much for being my friend!

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After being given 19 years of time to breathe, here's 19 things that I've learned:
  1. Everything happens for a reason. Don't regret any choices you've made.
  2. No matter who you get to know or be friends with, no matter what happens, your family comes first.
  3. Your parents may not show it a lot, but they love you as much as they love your other siblings. (I should stop being jealous with the attention that my sisters get because my parents showered me with love too)
  4. You can't make everyone like you. They deserve to dislike you and you should be okay with it.
  5. It's okay to listen to people's opinion, but they should not define who you are.
  6. Learn to accept your mistakes and flaws. You'll become a better person after that.
  7. You don't need no boy to be happy. Your girlfriends are enough.
  8. Never hate on anyone. Learn to accept, respect and tolerate with people, and people will do the same for you.
  9. It's okay to feel tired. Every effort counts, none of them are useless. The efforts will get you to your dreams or something better, inshaaAllah.
  10. Be honest and truthful, lying gets you to nowhere.
  11. If someone can't accept you for who you are, or constantly makes you feel like sh*t, it's okay to leave them. They don't deserve you.
  12. Every human being is born beautiful. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Someone thinking you're not beautiful doesn't mean you are, they just don't see it. Somewhere along the way you will find people who think you are the most beautiful being.
  13. Loving someone far and unreachable is not wrong. It's still love.
  14. Take care of people's feelings, but take care of your own feelings more. You deserve to be loved.
  15. Getting through a stressful day is an achievement. Don't downgrade yourself, you did well. Sometimes you need to pat your own back and tell yourself you did well.
  16. It's okay to breakdown and cry. It doesn't mean you're weak. Cry and get back up, show the world that you are stronger than that.
  17. Don't hurt yourself for others, put priority on yourself. You are worth all your attention. Care for yourself more than others, but don't be selfish.
  18. Be kind and do good to others. Life doesn't revolve around yourself, at times you need people to help you survive in this world.
  19. As a Muslim, surviving life is important, but don't forget to perform your prayers and ibaadah and always remember Allah the Almighty in everything. 

I did learn more than this, of course. But these are the things that I want to constantly remind myself with so that I can become a better person.

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So last night was TESL Night 2016 for my university. I went there without any expectation (I just aimed to eat and go back home) and I did have quite some complaints regarding the management of the event. But surprisingly, the flow of the event went smoothly and I had a great time last night (though I didn't manage to eat the sambal sotong). I was forced (a little) to join the fashion show and despite my nervousness in catwalking infront of almost 200 people, I think I did a rather great job. Didn't get to be recrowned as the Queen, but oh well, I got something better than that.

Some of the performance were alright, some of them a real da bomb. Almost at the end of the event, the lecturers were called to give some advice to us, when one of my favourite lecturer, Madam Sally suddenly announced that me and Tiyah, a classmate of mine did something terribly wrong. We were called to the front of the stage, and I was pretty scared and confused as to what I did wrong. Several moments passed before Madam Sally suddenly sang happy birthday to both me and Tiyah, before two of my best friends, Epa and Mehi came front with a cake and candles to us. I couldn't think of anything else and broke into tears along with Tiyah. It was a very touching moment for me, since I didn't expect anything for my birthday. I'm so thankful to the ones that participated in making the birthday surprise, you guys are the most awesome! I love you guys!

"Once a family, always a family". To all TESLians of UniSZA for this batch, thank you for everything. I hope our friendship will last for as long as they could be. All the best for your teaching practicum next year!

Thank you everyone for giving me an amazing birthday 



Till next time ♡ Love, Maira

Doctor Strange: Dr. Stephen Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) life changes after a car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he looks for healing, and hope, in a mysterious enclave. He quickly learns that the enclave is at the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying reality. Before long, Strange is forced to choose between his life of fortune and status or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence.

Rating: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

If I need to sum up Doctor Strange into a word, I'd describe it as brilliant! From the plot line to its execution, everything is brilliant. And the fact that a former neurosurgeon turned superhero screams brilliant too, don't you think?

Fyi, Doctor Strange has two genres that I rarely enjoyed: superhero & medical genres. I rarely ever enjoy these two genres. There are a few superhero movies that I like, but I can't name any medical movies/series that I enjoyed watching. Yet somehow, Doctor Strange caught my full attention and focus. Strange maybe, but maybe not. 

I'm not going to say much about the plot since the movie is still new and I don't want to spoil anything, but I gotta say that I appreciate the fact that Strange had to travel all the way to Nepal to seek for help after helplessly failing to cure his hands. It's like, not everything happens or revolves around America only (there are some movies that I disliked because it seemed as if America is the only country in the world when there's a lot more countries, obviously oh whatever ignore me) Strange was very arrogant in the first place, but that side of him was what helped him to overcome things, even though it did pull him down too.

It absolutely made sense for Stranger to be able to have strong powers in a short amount of time, thanks to his curiosity and photographic memory. I love the powers shown in Doctor Strange, especially the time where they alter the universe just by some wave of hands. I've always loved magic things, and I could say that the powers in Doctor Strange almost resembled magical powers, hence why I love this movie a lot.

At first, my favourite character was the Ancient One. Simply because she's a woman and her powers are da bomb and smart and quite elegant in a badass way and oh I just love the character. But then there's the cape! Yes, here's a spoiler to those who don't know anything about Doctor Strange: the cape is alive! It's quirky and cute in a way, and very protective over Strange too. It acts just like an obedient dog to its master (in this case, it labelled Strange as its master), except that it can fight either by its own self or together with Strange, and can help Strange to levitate. If they're making a sequel for Doctor Strange, I'd definitely look forward to see more of the cape's action.

Overall, I find the movie almost perfect, with a touch of humour here and there. Even Strange's encounter with Dormammu and how Strange handled the situation were quite funny too. Though I said I didn't want to spoil anything, I'd just like to mention about my favourite scene in the movie (this is the second spoiler, if you noticed). It's the part where Strange was stabbed and went to the hospital so that Christine can stitch him back up, and then his astral body (is it? I can't remember if it's spirit or body) just showed up in front of Christine's face when she was not confident in the surgery. That scene was quite hilarious, and I gotta give a mark to Christine for being able to stay calm and continue the surgery despite the shock and horror. If I was her, I probably would have fled. Probably.

Have you watched Doctor Strange? Share your thoughts!



Till next time ♡ Love, Maira

Kimi No Na Wa. (Your Name.): The story is set one month after a comet has fallen for the first time in a thousand years in Japan. Mitsuha, a high school girl living in the countryside, wants to live in the city because she is tired of life in the country. Then, there's Taki. He's a high school student living in Tokyo with his friends while working as a part-timer at an Italian restaurant. He also has a strong interest in fine arts involving architecture. One day, Mitsuha dreams of herself as a young man. On the other hand, Taki also has a dream where he is a female student attending high school in the countryside. What's the secret behind their dreams?

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

In my previous Japanese language class, we end up watching a movie instead of getting into the lesson. We had a short debate on what to watch, either Kimi No Na Wa, My Neighbour Totoro or Doraemon in Hindi. Majority chose Kimi No Na Wa and sensee also mentioned that this anime had been one of the highest grossing movie in Japan, so it was highly recommended.

I was spoiled by some of my classmates who have watched it though, knowing that Mitsuha and Taki, the two main characters exchanged bodies for some reasons a bit too early. It's a bit frustrating to hear the spoilers, but I tried my best to pretend that I didn't hear anything and simply focus on the movie.

The story started quite slow, showing Mitsuha going on with her daily life, living with her grandmother and sister. It was soon followed by Mitsuha dreaming of herself becoming a boy named Taki and living her his life in Tokyo. But the catch is, Taki is actually a real person. And the situation was the same with Taki, who dreamed becoming Mitsuha. It was like, every other day, they swapped bodies for some reasons. It was interesting, seeing how they jot down notes for each other so that they would not end up ruining each other's lives. Mitsuha and Taki's friends were great too, and I definitely enjoyed their friendship, even when Mitsuha and Taki bodies were swapped.

The body exchange eventually became a normal thing to them, and it was quite a shocking when suddenly they no longer switched bodies. The story focused on Taki and it was like Mitsuha suddenly went missing. When Taki dug deeper to find Mitsuha's whereabouts with the help of his friends, the plot twist that followed was definitely something amazing. The real truth behind Mitsuha and Taki exchanging bodies, and what they both have to do to save themselves and hundreds more of people were something you would never quite expect to happen right before your eyes.


It was lovely to see just how much Taki was willing to do for Mitsuha, yet it was heartbreaking when they end up forgetting each other unwillingly. Especially after seeing the words written by Taki on Mitsuha's hand. I was mentally prepared for an agonising ending, but the bittersweet ending that Kimi No Na Wa gave was more than enough.

I'd definitely recommend this movie to everyone, despite the cliche plot of a male and a female swapping bodies, but you'd find something more in Kimi No Na Wa. The plot was just so beautiful and even the scenery inside the movie was breathtaking. It's a beautifully created story, with characters that developed so well and cared for each other even without actually meeting. The belief of red string of fate was portrayed very obviously in the story, The only thing that made me not give this movie a full five star is the reason why Mitsuha and Taki was connected. Why them both? What made them able to switch bodies and save each other?

I guess that will remain a mystery though. Do share your thoughts if you have watched this too!



Till next time ♡ Love, Maira


It's already almost the end of October, yet I only managed to post the second part of my September haul. This month had been so hectic, I rarely even have time to calm down and relax. This weekend is probably the only rest time I'll have before everything turns bizarre again.

So, let's take a look at what else I bought!


13th item: Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes

I spend most of my money on books (novels, photobooks, notebooks, etc.), I can never help it whenever I find any books with gorgeous covers. Queen of Hearts captured my attention ever since I saw it in one of the bookstagram accounts that I followed on Instagram. The cover is absolutely gorgeous and the synopsis is quite intriguing too. It's a story about the Red Queen, who is the villain in Alice in Wonderland. I really like to know stories from the villains' point of views; they could become evil because of reasons. That's what made this book a must have for me, and I also did get it with a very cheap price!

Bought from: alyssa1986 @ carousell



14th item: Mini cactuses

Don't you just think cactuses (cactuses or cacti?) are cute? I've always wanted to have a cactus because I adore them so much and it reminds me slightly of hedgehogs I've always wanted a hedgehog too but mom says no, but I'm pretty scared the cactus is going to die. When I was small, me and my sisters all got a cactus each to take care of: all of them died. But this time, I braved myself to take care of this little baby, I hope it'll live for a long time.

I actually only ordered one cactus, the one on the right. But because the shipping was delayed, the seller gave me another cactus for free. I'm happy that my cactuses are not alone.

Bought from: justinxcloh @ carousell



15th item: White blouse

White is really something that I hope I will be able to pull off confidently one day. The colour risks making me look fat, so I always avoid it. But I'm so happy I found this long blouse, the cutting actually didn't make me look fat. Or at least I can walk leisurely while wearing it without fearing looking huge. The picture is a bit blurry though since the lack of lighting...



16th item: White diamond printed shawl

Bought this because I wanted more printed shawls, and this one matches my white blouse just now.



17th item: Mermaid hand drawn tote bag

I love love love tote bags; there is no such thing as having too much tote bags. This one is hand drawn personally by one of my best friends (wafahusenn @ instagram), and it is officially my favourite tote bag ♥ Mermaid is lahv.



18th item: Poop plushie

I've had too much plushie, to be honest. This one is not for me though, I bought it for my little sister, because she loves the poop emoji a lot and she really adores poop emoji plushies. I couldn't afford to buy a big one for her, so I bought this guy for her. She'll totally love it (I hope!)



19th item: Aloe Vera Gel

My skin is quite dry, so I constantly need to moisturise my face, and this Aloe Vera Gel had been one of the best option. I've tried a lot of products, and it's safe for me to say this one is the best. It helps to prevent my skin from being dry, and it's good as a make up base too, I think.


Update: Yes, I'm aware this one is not the original one from Nature Republic. Refer to the comments as to why I'm currently using this.
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Well, that's the end of my September haul. Do look forward for my October haul!



Till next time ♡ Love, Maira

Hello, creatures of the Earth! Happy first October! I haven't been active much on my blog lately, in exception of a few book and movie reviews. I decided to change my blog URL simply out of boredom. No frets, humairashamsul still belongs to me, and if you search it up on the search bar, it'll redirect you to this blog. I probably will change it back to that name soon, but for now, I'm absolutely loving mairathemermaid. I'll try to make a post on my obsession fondness for mermaids soon, so look out for it if you want to know anything about it!



Anyway, I've spent quite a lot of money in September (just like all months, to be honest. Yes, I know it's unhealthy but how to stop getting my hands on cute things?), and I decided to make a haul post for it. There'll be two parts, because I've bought a few more things in the last minutes and I haven't had time to take pictures of them.


1st Item: Handbag

Never in my whole life had I ever owned a cute handbag (tote bags and other types of bags are not counted), and I'm so ecstatic when I finally found the perfect bag for me. It's in rose gold, basically another shade of pink, which is a perfect match for a pink lover like me. The size is convenient enough for me to bring my essentials around and the quality is very good despite the cheap price.


2nd item: Ariel figurine toy

There's no end to my love towards mermaids, especially Ariel, even if it means buying a child's toy. This version of Ariel looks so cute, I think it would look very nice being displayed on my desk or shelf. And it has two pretty dresses too, which adds more fun to it. 

I'm probably acting like a nine-year-old girl, but oh who cares? Some child-like habits or fondness can never be erased from you, no matter how old you grow up. 


3rd item(s): Seashells

Getting these seashells didn't require any money, but I'm still considering it as part of my September haul. Thanks to my dear friend, I was able to go to the beach after missing the ocean and the salty air so much ♥ I wanted to watch the sun rise, but we went out too late for that and the sun can already be seen on the morning sky. Nonetheless, a morning spent listening to the sound of the waves and collecting seashells was something very calming for me. I'm probably going to start a seashell collection.

Edit: I already started my seashell collection.


4th item: Flamingo socks

Apart from anything related to mermaids or the ocean, I'm also an avid collector of cute socks. I've already have a pile of them, and I'm definitely thinking of widening my collection all the time. There's just no way for me to stop myself from buying cute socks. I tend to wear them during my sleep since my feet get cold easily, so buying socks are not a waste.

Flamingo is my favourite among the bird species, mostly because they're pink in colour, but just the existence of them and when they're in flocks by the shallow river, they looked really beautiful. Just a few days before I bought this socks, I saw someone posted an almost similar version of this socks on Instagram. I'm so happy I got to have one of my own too!


5th item: Seashell notebook

Ah, I'm really hopelessly a hoarder of many things. I collect cute notebooks too (yeah, now you know why I'm always running short of money) even though I end up not using most of them. Maybe one day I'll make a good use of all my unused collection of notebooks.

I got this baby at an art shop. It was my first time going to an art shop, an I'm positive I was beaming the whole time while being inside the shop. I have a huge interest over arts, it's just that I have not much basic in it. I wanted to learn, but art classes are so expensive... and I just suck at practicing every day by myself, I tend to stray away and do something else instead hmm.


6th item: 'Beach' wooden standee

I'm not sure what to call this, so I guess standee would suffice. I've always wanted a one-letter wooden standee, especially from Typo, but I've never gotten the chance to buy one. I got this one from Daiso, and it makes me so happy to have this word on my shelf right now.


7th item: Tropical/Hawaiian/Flamingo postcard pack

I got this from a Popular Bookstore. I'm thinking of hanging it in my room, since I rarely ever journal and it seemed unlikely for me to journal using this. Bought this because I really love postcards and they got lots of flamingos on them!


8th item(s): Disney Princess books

These are probably for young children to read, but my love for Disney Princesses will never fade, especially for the lovely Ariel ♥ There's a lot of stickers in the book too, I'm thinking of using them to decorate my room also. The only thing that these books upset me is that there's no Prince Eric in it /inserts sad face/


9th item: Pink floral notebook

Another impulsive buy from me because it's a cute notebook and it's pink and it's cheap.


10th item: Pink decorative strings

Will be used to decorate my room soon!


11th item(s): Lotte Milkis soda beverages

I've always wanted to try these drinks. I don't really enjoy soda drinks, but these are quite delicious! I'd love to try the other flavours sometime soon. I even kept the cans because they're very cute.


12th item: Scented candle

Scented candles are also another thing that I've always wanted to buy, and only now managed to buy one. My mom gave me some vanilla scented candles before this, and I haven't use them still. Can't wait to light up this candle soon, my room would smell heavenly ♥


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So those are some of the things that I've bought during September. I'll be back with part 2 soon!

P.S: I probably should do this for every month since I do haul a lot actually.




Till next time ♡ Love, Aishah Humaira'
Train To Busan: A man (Gong Yoo), his estranged daughter and other passengers become trapped on a speeding train during a zombie outbreak in South Korea.

Rating: ★★★★★ (4.7 out of 5)

Review: Though I'm a huge fan of horror and gory stuffs, somehow zombies never made it to the top of my favs. I do enjoy World War Z (because holy crap the zombies were extremely fast!) and Warm Bodies (Nicholas Hoult is such a cutie), but I'm never amazed by The Walking Dead. The undead caked with dried up blood was not something I like to watch at most times, I guess. But when a friend showed me the trailer of Train To Busan when it was just released in South Korea, I can't help but be wowed by the plot. Plus, most horror movies from South Korea that I have watched contain something meaningful in them (more often the value of family or friendship) compared to western movies, so I was more than eager to watch Train To Busan.

It didn't occur to me that a month or two after that, I'd be travelling a few hundred miles to watch it at the movies with my girlfriends. But I was glad we did, every penny spent on the movie (and the journey) was definitely worth it! Though I was amazed by the whole production of the movie, I still have some mixed feelings about it. I loved it to bits, but at the same time I'm so mad at the story plot.

Train To Busan started with a busy father, Seok Woo, and his daughter, Soo An, riding a train to visit Soo An's mother in Busan. Everything seemed fine, but small accidents started appearing around the city including a huge fire on a building and Soo An seeing something attacking the train conductor (?) when the train started to move. And then an injured woman managed to escape the attacks of the unknown things and stepped into their train. A female staff tried to help, and that was when all hell broke lose.

The moment the thing, or zombie, started to bite, everything started to look horrifying. The transition from a human towards a zombie was so horrible, I'm pretty sure weak-hearted or blood-phobic watchers wouldn't be able to watch it. The production was a bomb though, everything looked realistic and believable (despite the fact that the scenes were mostly done on a green screen).

Like I've mentioned above, most Korean horror movies that I've watched had values in them, and Train To Busan was no exception. Seok Woo was a selfish man at first, but after the encounter with the zombies and almost losing his daughter, he became a very selfless person. Along with a married couple, Sang Hwa and Sung Kyung, two students, Gi Cheol and Jin Hee, and a homeless man, the seven of them managed to go far. But not everything went as what we rooted, one by one, we lost the heroes.


I have never cried so much after watching a movie, Train To Busan was the first to me. I cried when Sang Hwa sacrificed himself to save the others and his wife had to watch him die; when Jin Hee was bitten and Gi Cheol cradled her, not caring that she turned into a zombie after that and killed him because she meant so much to him; when Seok Woo was bitten in front of his daughter and had to leave her in the care of Sung Kyung, killing himself before he turned into a zombie so as not to hurt his daughter (the scene when he remembered when Soo An was still a baby was so heartbreaking); and when Soo An sang the song that was meant for her father when she walked into the tunnel with Sung Kyung when they arrived in Busan.

"Yeon Sang-ho’s South Korean zombie film “Train to Busan” opened in U.S. theaters in July, and those who have gotten around to seeing it can probably tell why the film has become a box office phenomenon in its home country. Combining elements of “Snowpiercer” and “World War Z,” the energized horror flick follows a group of passengers who must survive a zombie outbreak while on a speeding train and features the kind of virtuoso camerawork and adrenaline-fueled set pieces that make you stand up and cheer. - Indiewire
Oh yes, the whole cinema definitely cheered (and cursed) aloud along the movie. Train To Busan portrayed so much emotions within it, making it one of the best movies ever produced (in my opinion, of course). It shows that being selfish will only bring you down and what you give, you will get back. It shows that family and friends matter the most, and every sacrifice you made for the loved ones are worth it. It also shows that being kind is something that should be done not only to the people that we know and care about, but we should be kind to everyone who deserves it. If I'm given another opportunity to re-watch this movie, I'd definitely do it. I'm just hoping none of this zombie and virus infection thing happens in real life though.

There have been talks about a sequel for Train To Busan, which I don't really think is necessary, but I still would watch it anyway. Rumours about Lee Min Ho starring in the sequel had been circulating around, and hey, if Lee Min Ho is starring in an action thriller zombie movie, that's definitely my call ─=≡Σ((( V๑◉∀◉)つ


Till next time ♡ Love, Aera
Warning: Contains a teeny tiny bit of spoiler, maybe? Okay kidding, there's a LOT of spoilers.


Title: After You
Series: Me Before You #2
Author: Jojo Moyes
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publish Date: 2015
Pages: 410

Book blurb: How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?

Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started.

Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future...

For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.


Overall rate: ★★★☆☆ 

Favourite excerpt from the book: 'Life is short, right? We both know that. Well, what if you're my chance? What if you are the thing that's actually going to make me happiest?'


Me Before You had been a good reading experience to me, and I was hoping for the same thing with After You. Sadly to say, I pretty much had a hard time finishing this one. I felt forced to complete the book, and at some point I just to hurl the book away and scream at the fiction people in the story. But I was desperate to know the ending, I wanted to see Lou get her real happiness. I mean, yes she was happy, but then Will decided to end his life. I'll never forgive him for dying. Oh yes who cares if he's just a fictional character I'm still pissed

I had absolutely no expectation for After You. I didn't read even the synopsis or any reviews for the book. All I know is that Lou must have some kind of an end to the grief that Will had left behind. The ending of Me Before You seemed to say that Lou was leading a good life after Will, she even went to Paris for goodness sake! But no, after several months (was it?) the grief started eating her again and there she went, back down to a sad depressed state. I admit that I've never had an experience of losing a person that I loved, possibly only the experience of dying cats and an old friend dying at a very young age. Other than that, I have absolutely no experience of handling grief. I know this makes me a person who shouldn't judge, but I can't help but be judgmental whenever I read books related to people who can't move on.

Life goes on. People come and go. People... die. I know it will be hard to move on, yes, I can't imagine losing someone important in life, suddenly the world is missing from their voices and actions. Of course it's going to be hard for everyone. But ruining your own life and becoming a walking ball of sadness is not something worth to do. I'm not sure what I'm trying to say, but After You is filled too much with Lou thinking about Will (Will this, Will that) that it started to get maddening. Don't let me start of how Lily ended up crashing into Lou's life.

Lily, the long-lost-suddenly-emerging daughter of Will Traynor. Who would have thought we would be fed with yet another maddening person? She has her own charms of course, I would give that, but almost eighty percent of her existence just boiled me. Like Treena said (and what I will absolutely agree upon), Lily was not Lou's responsibility. But hey, Lou always thought about fixing and helping others, just not on herself. I mean, I do feel sorry for what Lily had to experience, what she went through with all her broken family and shits, but was it necessary for her to be rude? I'm not the nicest person on earth, sure, but I don't think I could ever tolerate that level of rudeness. Not even in books.

Other than Lily's unexpected appearance, it's good that Lou was welcomed back into her family. After falling off from the rooftop of her flat, though. At least it lead her to be with Sam. Sam was like one of the reasons I kept reading After You. Even Lou pissed me off (with her rejecting to get the job at New York at first because she "needed" to take care of Lily), but Sam was just a real nice man that I wanted to know what will happen to him. This might sound weird, but thank goodness he was shot and thank goodness Lou was there even when it meant violating the rules. Sam was shot, but they both found that they need each other then. And Lily was happy with her newly found family. And Lou decided to go to New York for the job. Bam, everyone's happy!

Thank you, Jojo Moyes. Thank you for the torturing experience. Me Before You would have been good as a stand alone novel, but After You was a great closure for Lou. She got to move on, finally, and properly.


Till next time ♡ Love, Aishah Humaira'
After more than a month, I finally had something to write about. A lot of things did happen, and at one point, I almost sank back into depression. But things are getting better now and I feel better. Anyway, two days ago was the start of my current semester's final. I carpooled to the exam hall with my housemates, Epa and Nick. When we're done with the paper, Epa suggested that we go somewhere just to relax, and out pop up the suggestion to go for a movie. 

It had been a while since I've travelled anywhere, so I didn't hesitate a second to say yes to the idea. I'm always up for adventures! Without any other words, we hit the road the very next moment.


If it was up to me, we would definitely get lost. Or I'd probably just end up driving back to Kuala Lumpur instead. Thanks to the existence of GPS and a little bit of my friend's memory, we arrived safely to Kemaman.

We were torn between wanting to watch Suicide Squad or Lights Out (Epa insisted on Suicide Squad while Nick insisted on Lights Out, while I was caught in between), but because we arrived later than planned, the earliest movie that we could watch was Suicide Squad. Had no regrets though, even though the tickets were extremely overpriced despite not watching it in 3D, Suicide Squad was a bomb! I absolutely love it to bits, and gosh, Harley Quinn is such a queen 

You can read my review for Suicide Squad here


After movie session, we decided to take a stroll along the mall, just to see what's around. Bought myself five Rotiboy buns (because duh, Rotiboy buns are lyfe!) and had some jewellery haul + a new lipstick! I'm broke now, but I definitely don't regret anything. What's to regret when you get to widen your collection of cute shits, aite?


I was so ecstatic when I found this bracelet. I am aware that these might be just some zebras to everyone, but in my eyes, they're unicorns! I don't care what others say, I still believe these babies are unicorns.

Maybe when I'm older, I should get a license to own a zebra and make it into a pretty unicorn!


I have always, always, always wanted a choker. I'm so happy I got to buy this one because it is so pretty, and the jewel reminded me of a mermaid's tear that I often see in other jewellery pieces. 


Rings would probably be my favourite accessory to wear at all times. It's saddening that I've lost a lot of fav rings before, and I'm hoping to be more careful from now on. This one here is a really simple ring, but it looks so good when worn, I can't help but bring it home. I'll probably wear it a lot after this.


New baby to join my lip products collection! Kudos to Epa for choosing this shade for me, it really compliments my pale skin. It's matte, but it didn't make my lips dry but moisten them a little. I'm just so in love with this lip product. I think Maybelline products are really good, so I'll stick to using their products. 

Despite the smooth journey to Kemaman, our journey back to Kuala Terengganu was a bit rough. The sky suddenly turned extremely dark, it was like we were heading straight into a horrible storm on the road. The wind started to pick up and we could feel it pushing the car a little, so we had no choice but to slow down or something bad might happen. It started to pour down harshly then, and we stopped at a nearby R&R, a little scared to continue the journey. But Alhamdulillah, after around an hour, we managed to get back on the road and came back safely. 


So, that's what happened two days ago. My final paper would be tomorrow, and then I'll be heading back to Shah Alam and stay there for three weeks before my next semester starts. Can't wait to go home!


Till next time ♡ Love, Aishah Humaira'


Suicide Squad: Figuring they're all expendable, a U.S. intelligence officer decides to assemble a team of dangerous, incarcerated supervillains for a top-secret mission. Now armed with government weapons, Deadshot (Will Smith), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Captain Boomerang, Killer Croc and other despicable inmates must learn to work together. Dubbed Task Force X, the criminals unite to battle a mysterious and powerful entity, while the diabolical Joker (Jared Leto) launches an evil agenda of his own.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5 out of 5)

Review: SUICIDE SQUAD IS SO LIT, I SWEAR /inserts sparkles and hearts and glitters/

I'm not really the type to watch superhero movies, to be honest. I haven't even watched any Superman movies or Batman movies, or Superman vs Batman, or whatever else. I did watch some Iron Man, Captain America and Ant Man, but that's it. I didn't plan on continuing with the movie series. So when I was suggested to watch Suicide Squad, I wasn't thrilled, but I didn't reject it idea.

Boy, I'm glad I watched it. I have never loved villains (as heroes) this much before. When Deadshot was introduced, I can't help but be in awe by how cool he was when he assassinate people. His skill is a bomb! But I am so much more in love with Harley Quinn (I'm straight, don't worry. Even Harley can't change that♡ She's definitely the epitome of a gorgeous villain. And her quirkiness, her cheerful voice, and just everything about her was exciting to watch.

I just love her relationship with Joker a.k.a Puddin'. Despite me not liking Joker much, I love Harley and Joker's relationship so so so much. They actually looked adorable together, even with the craziness going on around. It's fun to watch Joker being so protective over his queen. The other villains were cool too, like Diablo and Katana (is that her name?), and it was nice to see their teamwork. Suicide Squad can be a #squadgoals, without having to risk dying, of course.

The story plot was quite a killer, I wouldn't mind rewatching Suicide Squad again at any time. It shows a lot of betrayal and loyalty, one of the reasons why I love it to bits. Plus, it's rare to see Cara Delevingne being the bad guy, but damn, Enchantress was really mind-blowing. She looked stunning after she gained power from her brother. If she wasn't the most evil one, I probably would have liked her more.

All in all, I'm very satisfied with Suicide Squad. I do admit that there's still a lot of uncovered truth between the characters, like how they end up becoming villains, but I guess those will come in Suicide Squad 2? Who knows, because obviously the story didn't just end here.





Till next time ♡ Love, Aera



The Shallows: Still reeling from the loss of her mother, medical student Nancy Adams (Blake Lively) travels to a secluded beach for some much-needed solace. Despite the danger of surfing alone, Nancy decides to soak up the sun and hit the waves. Suddenly, a great white shark attacks, forcing her to swim to a giant rock for safety. Left injured and stranded 200 yards from shore, the frightened young woman must fight for her life as the deadly predator circles her in its feeding ground.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 out of 5)

Review: As far as I have remembered, I don't think I've ever watched a movie related to sharks before. Or at least, I didn't watch the whole movie. I pretty much dislike movies that portrays that animals are the villain, when in truth, the stupidity of the humans in the movie itself was the cause of all the horrors. They either do something extremely silly or they simply just can't think rationally.

It's the same as in The Shallows. A girl goes surfing alone at a secluded beach; what else can be sillier than that? Sure, Nancy did plan to bring a friend, but the friend pulled out of the plan in the last minutes, JUST because she wanted to be with some guy. An example of a shitty friend. But then again, Nancy could have just go back to her hotel and come again another day, doesn't she know that a person being alone, a woman especially, is very dangerous? If something happened, nobody will ever know. ISN'T THAT SUPPOSED TO BE SOME SORT OF A COMMON SENSE?

Anyway, of course, directly after Nancy hung up a call with her dad who asked her to come home, she went back surfing and then got into trouble with a deadly shark. Moral value one: Don't disobey your parents, the consequence(s) can be rather quick. But here, here here here, the scriptwriter and director made a good decision placing Nancy as a nurse. After she was bitten, and she managed to escape to a giant rock for safety, she did her best to stop her blood from flowing out too much. The production did a great job with the shark attacks, wounds and blood things.

And I like the fact that they added a wounded bird on the same giant rock to accompany Nancy. It was really cute, giving her some company and also warnings whenever the shark wanted to attack. Thank goodness the bird didn't die. In the end, Nancy was the one who saved herself for being strong willed and smart enough for survival. Moral value two: Don't give up too early, do just everything for the sake of your own goodness.

Not sure if I'll be recommending this movie to anyone, but it's not that bad though. If you like movies with the ocean and a deadly shark, then this is absolutely your cup of tea.


Till next time ♡ Love, Aera

Me Before You: Young and quirky Louisa "Lou" Clark (Emilia Clarke) moves from one job to the next to help her family make ends meet. Her cheerful attitude is put to the test when she becomes a caregiver for Will Traynor (Sam Claflin), a wealthy young banker left paralyzed from an accident two years earlier. Will's cynical outlook starts to change when Louisa shows him that life is worth living. As their bond deepens, their lives and hearts change in ways neither one could have imagined.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

Review: This probably shouldn't be called a movie review, because I mostly only want to rant. I don't think I need to review this since; 1) there's tons of nicer reviews out there that you can find, 2) I have already written a review on the book, so you already know how I felt about Me Before You. You can read the review here.

Fortunately, the movie did justice for the wonderful book, even though there were a few scenes or parts that I wish they didn't change. The movie started out well, and I gotta say they did a great job choosing Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke for Will and Lou. They portrayed the character perfectly! Lou's style of clothing was really quirky, but the way Emilia brought it made her look unique and gorgeous. And of course I couldn't stop gushing about how ridiculously Sam look as Will.

A few things that disappoint me though;

  • Why didn't Will's sister exist in the movie?
  • Lou's relationship with her sister, Katrina, was actually good (they argued a lot in the book)
  • Mr. Traynor is not cheating on anyone (or at least I didn't notice it, since he seems good with Mrs. Traynor in the movie?)
  • WHY IS LOU NOT WEARING THE RED DRESS AT ALICIA'S WEDDING???!!?

Basically, I'm okay with the movie. I'm just seriously upset Lou didn't dance with Will wearing the red dress. But yes, Lou really looked adorable wearing the bumblebee tights.


Till next time ♡ Love, Aera

Title: Finding Audrey
Series: -
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Young adult & Contemporary
Publisher: Corgi Childrens
Publish Date: 2016 (First published in 2015)
Pages: 280

Book blurb: An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey’s daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother’s gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she’s never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family.

Overall rate: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

Book cover: 4/5

Story plot: 4/5

Characters: 4/5

Language: 4/5

Favourite excerpt from the book:

(Linus) I'm sorry you have to go through all this.

(Audrey) Me too.

(Linus) It won't be forever. You'll be in the dark for as long as it takes and then you'll come out.

(Audrey) You think?

(Linus) My aunt grows special rhubarb in dark sheds. They keep it dark and warm all winter and harvest it by candlelight, and it's the best stuff. She sells it for a fortune, btw.

(Audrey) So, what, I'm rhubarb?

(Linus) Why not? If rhubarb needs time in the dark, maybe you do too.

(Audrey) I'm RHUBARB?!




I'm not really a fan of Sophie Kinsella- no, I don't dislike her books, I just don't read chic lit books much. I can't even remember if I have read any books from Kinsella's Shopaholic series or not. But something made me really want to read Finding Audrey. It could be that this is Kinsella's first young adult book, and it could also be because this story touched a little bit on psychological matters.

I'd like to thank my friend, Anisah, for buying this book for me, by the way ♡


CHARACTERS: I totally adore the characters in this story, especially little Felix! Audrey Turner comes from a family of five, and she is the only daughter. This explains why her mother is very protective over her matters, and of course, because Audrey was diagnosed to a few psychological problems.

Her family was a very loving one, despite Audrey's older brother, Frank Turner, being a game addict and it was bothering their mother a lot. I had a great time reading about Ann Turner's antics. She reads the Daily Mail and trusts it completely, making her actions a bit over the top. But I like her relationship with the husband, Chris Turner. I just love the Turners. It would be great to have brothers like Frank and Felix. Finding Audrey really showed a strong bond between siblings and family.

As for Audrey, I think she's a really nice character, and her progress to recover made me love her more. She wanted to be better, even though her lizard brain tried its best to pull her back down. For that, I like her strong will to get better. And then there's Linus. Linus is quite a witty person and a really kind boy. He was one of the reasons Audrey managed to fight her fears, and he was always there for her. It's safe to say that the world needs more Linus who can be supportive to the girls that they love.

Oh and I'm fond of Dr. Sarah too. I hope I'll be someone like her too one day, I'd love to help people (like Audrey) to become better.



PLOT: Finding Audrey tells about the daily life of the Turners and Audrey's journey to become a better someone that she currently is. The plot was really good, even from the start. I didn't find a time where I wish I could skip it. I love that the whole family was supportive to Audrey, and even Linus too. I personally think that Finding Audrey is a nicely written story. I wouldn't say this story will be in my list of favourites, but I totally have no problem with it.



RECOMMEND: If you're looking for a light read with a touch of love and family bond, Finding Audrey is perfect for you. I'd recommend this to all book lovers, because I think Sophie Kinsella did a great job in exposing a small part of how people that suffer from psychological problems feel. Everyone has that time where they feel worthless. If you're feeling that way, just remember that there are people who love you just the way you are. Stay close to the people that you love and do the things that makes you happy.



Till next time ♡ Love, Aishah Humaira'
I'm back with a new template! I originally planned to buy a template, but then I found this one, kudos to Erin Azmir for her top 5 minimalist blogger template post on her blog. It looks cleaner and the fonts are more visible (gotta admit that my previous template had really tiny fonts, right?)

Anyway, I just started a new semester in university. It's a short semester (approximately 7 weeks), which means double the schedules and my days are more hectic even though I'm only taking 5 subjects this semester. The only subject I'm looking forward to is Japanese Language class. I hope I'll learn good things in the class. It's just a week, but it already felt like a month. I also just moved into a new dorm house outside of campus, I'll probably do a room tour (my part of the room only) soon.


We hadn't actually planned anything, but six out of eight of us (me and my friends a.k.a dorm housemates) end up getting in the car and travelled to Kemaman, Terengganu, which took around a 2 hours journey. It started with one of us finally remembering that she hadn't used up her book vouchers yet, so me and the others that are bibliophiles immediately stepped forward eagerly to use the vouchers for her so it wouldn't be a waste. I'll never say no to free books

And we wanted so badly to watch a movie too.


The journey started at 7.30 AM, and we got there at around 9.30 AM, which of course meant that we had to go somewhere else since the mall weren't opened yet. Thanks to my friends' keen eyes, they saw the way to go to a nearby beach, and here we are!


The beach is really beautiful. There were these pretty purple flowers everywhere, and I can't help but praise God by the scene in front of us. We spent quite a while there, just staring at the wide ocean. It was calming, even the sky was beautiful that time.


When the mall finally opens, we entered the bookstore to buy books first. Originally, I was able to take two books, All The Light We Cannot See and Evil Librarian. But the cashier refrained us from spending a RM200 book voucher on novels only. We have to mix between educational books too. Which pretty much pissed me off, because that had never even happened before, even in bigger bookstores in KL. It was annoying, and after quite some time we end up spending only RM100 voucher. I am definitely not going to that bookstore ever again, sorry not sorry.

But hey, thanks a lot Dinie for buying me this book! Not sure if I would like All The Light We Cannot See or not, because the story is taken place in the World War II era (I normally enjoy watching movies for this setting, I rarely read books with the setting), but I heard many good reviews for it, so I'm not worried much. Even the synopsis sounds promising. We'll see.


After the irritating event at the bookstore, we all head to the cinema. I actually wanted to watch Finding Dory (because Finding Nemo is a beautiful childhood memory that I'm still fond of), but seeing that all my friends wanted to watch The Conjuring 2, I decided to follow them. Plus,watching a movie alone would be sad.

The Conjuring 2 met my expectation, but I admit that I prefer The Conjuring more. But yes, Valak is definitely more hideous than Bathsheeba (is this how its spelled? I don't want to search it up on Google). Unlike when I watched The Conjuring, I didn't scream at all while watching The Conjuring 2. Though I did mutter some incoherent words accidentally and make angry comments to calm myself down, because damn it was scary! Definitely recommending this to horror lovers, you're gonna love it.

I'll be back with a full review for it later at the end of this month, with all the other movies that I have watched.


Half of the important people in my uni life ♡ One person is missing in this picture (Nick), and three people are absent from this short getaway (Mehi, Mira & Yayas). I'm hoping our next trip anywhere will consist of all of us, so I can check off my bucket list to have a road trip with my girlfriends. Can't wait for more fun moments with these girls!



Till next time ♡ Love, Aera