a letter to life

Being in my 30s makes me want to have a truly peaceful life — less drama, more good vibes. Having a small circle is a bonus, so I don't need to worry about cutting people off except for strengthening my boundaries and protecting my inner peace. But that doesn't really matter cause I am focusing on myself more. I am trying my best to simplify life, which I started way back in my late twenties. The realization kicked in when I was struggling to find happiness in my life. I wrote a post about of thing about happiness last year, and being in that retrospective mode has changed my life.

Slowing down life helps me enjoy the present moment and reduce stress. Here are five things I do to simplify life and make me more at peace. It is just a teeny tiny change, but it still works wonders for me.

1. Practice mindfulness. 

It is the act of paying full attention to the present moment without judgment. Live life as it is. This is quite difficult since I tend to reflect on the past and worry about the future. Keep trying until it allows you to focus on the here and now. This will reduce our tendency to rush things through life; in return, we will find ourselves smiling at the end of the day.

2. Simplify your schedule. 

Reduce the unnecessary activities in your daily routine by doing fewer things. Manage your time well to accomplish your tasks. This is why I am so into minimalism, especially when it comes to space—home, room, etc. Less stuff means less time to tidy things up and more time for hobbies that bring me joy and fulfillment.

3. Unplug from technology. 

Easy peasy tips! Constant connectivity on social media can lead to stress. Take a break from the screens and do something more happier. Don't waste your time reading gossip or commenting on someone's wall about things unrelated to you. It's not worth the time to be a busybody. Your own time is ticking!

4. Engage in slow hobbies. 

This one depends on the individual itself. My only slow hobby is reading. I can't do gardening or knitting, so yeah, do what you love and immerse yourself in the process. Don't rush. Let the things you do give you a sense of calm and fulfillment as you enjoy the journey. (but readers dont really go slow when reading, right? :P)

5. Cultivate gratitude.

Learn to acknowledge and appreciate the positive aspects of your life, even the smallest things. It helps you shift your focus from what's missing to what you have and encourages contentment. We tend to ignore the small, treasurable things and be ungrateful, which ends up putting us in a stressful situation. Try to reflect on each thing and unfold the hidden gems.

Simplifying life can lead to greater clarity, less stress, less drama, and more enjoyment. Let's live a life full of balance and be more peaceful. 

₊ .・✧.・。.・.°˖ ✧.・。.・.✧・. ₊

Would you simplify your life to be more at peace?

The Synopsis

It’s sad but crazy at the same time or should I say it’s crazy but sad?

I just finished this book in one sitting yeay. It is The Woman Before Me by Natalia Aivy Dibit. Rasanya macam first time baca novel melayu yang genre psycho-thriller. Gotta say the lovey dovey part is a bit cringey padahal dialogue biasa jak pun. Tak biasa letteww.

But heres my honest review. I love the plot of the story. Intrigued enough and buat i keep on wanting to read the next page. Mok gilak tauk apa sebenarnya yang terjadi in that big house and with all the people especially to Tracy. Baca punya baca ternyata the truth is quite shocking. Like i did not expect any of it kecuali part main female character. Sampai begitu sekali penangannyaa.. Mary pulak menyakitkan hati bikin geram but ada few scenes quite funny, like eh whats this lady punya masalah eh? Oh rupa-rupanya ada sesuatu disebalik ke-annoying-an-nya. Actually ada few more scenes that will make you go “eh wait what?”, “jap jap what actually happened?”, “eh bodohnya perempuan tok..”.

I didnt read the synopsis jadi my brain work a little harder berfikir ‘why and how’ all the way through the book. I have no idea buku tok pasal apa but just a bit crumb ‘basah ketiak tunggu next part’ dari posting penulis. My curiosity rising at its best and i do love penulisan yang macam tok. It takes me on a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s sad but crazy at the same time or should i say its crazy but sad? Demi keinginan ada jak manusia yang sanggup buat benda yang sik sepatutnya. 

Overall, I enjoy reading the book! First sebab sik membosankan. Once you read terus rasa mok habiskan terus jak. Tak menyabar betolll. Second sebab psycho-thriller is one of my fav book genre.

─── .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. ─── 

What is your current reading?

Reading has always been one of my favourite hobbies. Not everyone can afford to go to many places, but with reading it takes you on wondrous escapism to everywhere; back to the past, to the future, to the wizardry realms and even the world full of knowledge (and ahem a world with the hottest dude). Reading is definitely a legal sorcery everyone can do.

"You think love is perfect? Like one of those fairytales?" He shakes his head. 

"Hell no. Love is hard…difficult. It’s dealing with someone’s shit day in and day out but never giving up on them because your heart won’t let you. It’s having a million reasons to leave them…but always having one good reason to stay."

Ruthless Knight by Ashley Jade Review

Here comes my honest review of the Ruthless Knight by Ashley Jade. I really enjoy this book. It takes me on a roller coaster of feelings as sometimes it's funny that it makes me laugh, it's sad that it makes me wanna cry along, and it's kinda annoying making me feel like throwing my Kindle away. There is pretty much going on, but I am 98% trapped in the love bubble between Cole and Sawyer. Damn, their love story is so intensely heart-wrenching yet beautiful at the same time. 

Being the hottest dude in the RHA (Royal Heart Academy), Cole Covington ends up being in love with the fat-ass Sawyer Grace. I'm obsessed cause the possibility for this to happen in real life is only 5%. Hell yeah, Ashley Jade knows what kind of 'dreams and imagination' do we need. I won't describe the characters in detail but here's the clue: it's the grumpy vs the sunshine. Just like a typical enemy-to-lover love story that's how their journey begins. Except that it's uniquely intense on its own.

Cole and Sawyer are literally two broken souls seeking real love. From hating each other to liking each other, the banter between them is adorable even though it may be slightly harsh. Cole is carrying a dark history on his shoulder while Sawyer is struggling to deal with her body. They both have their own problem as if the world is about to crumble and everything changes when they start sharing feelings. How would I describe it? There might be a rainbow of happiness, but a storm is still coming upon them. What I love most about things happening in the book is I absolutely love how supportive and thoughtful are the people around Cole and Sawyer. Jace and Bianca are Cole's lifeline while Oakley and Dylan are Sawyer's. Being the siblings and the best friends, they never leave them alone. I would say they are the champs in the entire book despite their traits are actually, you know, somewhat a toxic person but the author still gives everyone a chance to shine.

As for the book itself, the topics revolving around it are relevant enough and are what we deal with in everyday life. Body shaming, suicide, dealing with toxic parents and all kinds of mental-destructing issues are happening in reality, and some of us surely are struggling with all those. Ashley Jade brought it to the table, unfolded every bit and piece of it but tackled it in a good way. There are lessons to be learned, words to be pondered and everything that makes us feel better again. 

I encouraged whoever stumbled upon this review to read the book. Trust me you won't regret especially the lovey-dovey scene between Cole and Sawyer tehee!

The Synopsis

Welcome to their kingdom...

Cole Covington is the most popular heartbreaker at school.

Every guy wants to be him and every girl wants to screw him.

Except me.

His devastatingly good looks, golden arm, and flirty smiles don't do it for me anymore...because I know what's lurking underneath the star quarterback's gorgeous armor.

At least I thought I did.

Sometimes the most beautiful people...hide the ugliest truths.

And sometimes the only way to save someone...

is to walk beside them through hell.

Sawyer Church is the bible-thumping nerd of Royal Hearts Academy.

Girls pick on her and guys don't notice her.

Except me.

Sweet, curvy, and sarcastic, she's impossible to ignore.

No matter how much I try.

Everyone at school has her pegged as the chubby, Jesus loving geek, but unlike them—Sawyer's real and never pretends to be someone she's not.

Until I ask her to be my fake girlfriend.

Sometimes the most beautiful souls...hide the greatest pain.

And sometimes the only way to save someone...

is to fight for them.

Title: Ruthless Knight (Royal Heart Academy #2)

Author: Ashley Jade

Publication Date: January 23, 2020

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

─── .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. ─── 

What is your current reading?

Hello, earthlings. The second chapter of the Little Joys series is here. This week feels like a roller coaster, really. My emotion is driving me crazy as I'm about to get my period of the month. I literally cry and am sensitive for nothing. But actually it's quite funny bah sebab macam tetiba jak nangis paduhal the next day ya mok period rupanya. It's like I got my period alarm lol. Another alarm is the migraine attack. I freaking hate it when that happens. Luckily it's not that bad. Well, despite the ups and downs, let's see the little rainbows I had for the week.

The little and simple moments of our everyday lives contain a tapestry of beauty. They serve as gentle reminders in the midst of life's chaos, providing us with solace, connection, and a profound sense of meaning. Here's to another collection of everyday magic; the little joys, that add sparkle to my days:

일. Got an early birthday gift from my stepmom; perfume and jade bangle.

이. Upgrading my phone from iPhone x to iPhone 14 Pro. I really love taking photos with my phone!

삼. Witnessing fiery sunsets and pastel skies every day since I went for after-work running.

사. Had matcha shaved ice and loaded fries topped with chicken bolognese sauce at MyKori. It's so good!

오. Clean and organized room.

육. Starting to love black coffee again.

칠. Challenged myself to another 15-minute run without stopping.

팔. Lovely amazing weather.

구. Shiba Inu cutie smiles. If I could, I would definitely adopt one!

십. Mammatus look alike cloud!

Last Sunday, my siblings and I were having some dim sum at Canning Dim Sum, Imperial Palace Hotel Miri. My sister saw the recommendation from people on Facebook and said she wanted to try them out so we went there around 1130am. Upon arriving at our destination, I'm quite impressed with the place. It has a pleasant and soothing ambiance which is definitely suitable for everyone; a good spot to have a morning breakfast with family, friends or that special person.

The ordering process, however, was somewhat perplexing. We had to wait for another waiter to arrive and bring us a few dim sum suggestion boxes after the waitress who was serving us had taken our drink orders. We chose few dim sum from what he brought us on the table and then my sister and I got us a caramel pudding, mango pudding and four steamed buns with different fillings from the display case.

The dim sum were all good and tasty. But it was quite disappointing when it comes to the steamed bun. Let me tell you, steamed bun are one of my favorite thing in the world. But sad to say all that I've tried here were kinda underwhelming. It may be perfect and tasty for others but for me, I kinda dislike the filling except the bun itself, its extremely soft and I super like it.

The caramel pudding was excellent. I like the sweet bitter-ish taste of the caramel sauce and the silky soft texture of the pudding. I would definitely go for it again. As for the mango pudding, my siblings finished it all before I even had the chance to taste it lol. 

On top of all, I would still love to have my dim sum session at this place again and absolutely will go for their caramel pudding since I have yet to find another restaurant that serves the dish this well.

The weather today is extremely cozy to the point of making me wanting to lay down on my bed and wrap myself in the velvety super comfy blanket. I keep yawning endlessly! The cold breeze, the sound of the raindrops and the humming melody of the car on the wet street, damn so perfect. Living in Malaysia, the weather are mainly hot and humid all the time, so when it rains, its like winning a lottery. Everyone will be happy and gratitude feelings are thrown away like a confetti.

I am much happier with my blog setup now. The color shade, the theme itself, it's warm and feels like even more a safe place to spill my thoughts. I have made few changes especially in the categories section which is fully inspired from other blogger and I love it! Here what you can browse around if you ever stumbled upon my tiny little site.

Little Joys — Mainly focus on my gratitude list and will be update every Friday.

Serene Sunday — Let's chill and spill everything from the brain inbox before you forget kind of day.

Travel — I love travel and I gotta write where I left my footsteps for the sake of memories.

Books — Sharing session about books I have read.

Journal — Daily diarium of what I did, what I feel etc.

Musing O'Clock — The aftermath of self-reflection.

Foodgasm — Foods and foods!

Self-Care Center — Grouping everything here; haircare, skincare and any personal care stuff.

100 Tips — Sharing the tips and hacks that is tested and personally approved.

Playlist — Sometimes I forgot what is once my favourite music, thus why this section exist.

I will try my best to commit on the writing as blogging used to be one of my hobby. It has been almost 15 years since I start blogging for the first time. I never stick to one name and keep changing them severely. I named this blog 0029am; a letter to life because I often drowning in thoughts at midnight and have a trouble to sleep, and yeah, it's where the idea come from. This blog probably will be here even after 10 years and by that time I will go down memory lane to read how was my life before. The reminisce moments would definitely be priceless. Till here then!