MARCH & APRIL 2024 | READING WRAP UP

I'm beyond grateful that, despite all the never-ending tasks and adjusting myself as a mother, I was able to tick off reading on my overwhelming monthly to-do list for the past two months. Juggling one hand on cradling baby H and the other one holding a book or a tab (for reading ebooks), my colleague must feel the void while I'm gone considering I'm a multitasking person 😝 Which I'm gonna be honest, I really miss going to work and be productive. It sure is nice to have some time off from work but it's not always rainbows and butterflies. I'm glad I'm a reader because I find solace in solitude through the adventure of reading. Although not all the books that I read were a 5 star rating, I still enjoyed each and every one of them. It's the same feeling I get every time I flip through the pages, all of them transports me into a whole new world, I lost myself while exploring through the authors' words and imaginations. Anyway, let's recap what I read for the past 2 months. This review will be short and simple as I need to post this immediately before baby H wakes up which if that happens, you will see this post up in maybe another months. 

⭐⭐
Love the concept of the bookshop
but the storyline quite dreary.

⭐⭐
I don't get the hype.
 A connection could be established
if the author elaborates more
on her experiences and feelings. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
TOP BOOK OF THE YEAR (so far)
Love the writing.
Funny, detailed and engaging.
Covers heavy subject lightly. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Inspiring; Dream big.
Ignore naysayers.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Achingly beautiful.

⭐⭐
Could be better.

Love,

R.

FEBRUARY 2024 | READING WRAP UP

I know.. right? It has been years since my last monthly reading wrap up. Honestly, I am quite surprised that I was able to squeeze those extra times into reading more than one book for a month. Hence, I decided to commemorate the little achievement here after abandoning my TBR list for so long. Nausea, fatigue, sleepiness, and frequent urination really get the best of me. I think it started to hit me last January that this year, particularly, I will be occupied and engaged with all the motherhood responsibilities. Hearing stories and reading online about being a first-time mom totally freaked me out, haha. So I assume I will not be entertained by reading anymore because I know I want to give my all and divert my focus solely on raising my firstborn, especially for baby H's first year. Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful beyond words for the baby's arrival. I'm not saying having a baby will hinder you from doing your favorites, it just means your priorities have changed and your perspectives have shifted. It's the rule of life. You adapt to your current situation and are forced to make a choice. BTW, I am not going to abandon reading forever, but I will do the reading with my baby. It will be our bonding time 😁 Or actually... maybe I will read while my husband takes care of our baby (If I'm not sleeping lah Hehe)

Before the coffee gets cold - ⭐⭐⭐
Tales from the Cafe - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Before your memory fades - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Before we say goodbye - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I've been wanting to read all of the books in the series for ages and finally made it,-continuously! It's so fulfilling to be able to tick off all of the titles on my reading wish list. Overall, it's a fulfilling read. Every chapter in the book focuses on different characters who want to go back to the past. But some do take the risk of traveling to the future, which comes with uncertainties. Most of the time, it got me thinking and reflecting on my life too. There's this one story that moved me to tears. It's about a couple and their lost pet. It just reminds me of the reality that one day my cat will be gone, and it's heart-wrenching. I don't want that to happen. My cat, Cik B is my son. Losing him would feel like losing half of me. He's been there with me through thick and thin. Even though sometimes I can't comprehend his clinginess, he's my all. 

To be honest, the reason I was intrigued to read them was because of the book cover, which I can never overlook with a cat on it! For me, the cat symbolizes coziness in the story, which is what I'm searching for in a book as of now. Enough with my demanding life, I need a light-themed book to just add a little bit of sweetness and comfort to my life. 

The first book was my least favourite because it didn't explain enough about the main characters. It left me hanging with questions and mysteries. But that's the beauty of the first book in any series. The curiosity sparked by the author will attract readers to read the next book in order to fully grasp the whole story. But, after reading all of it, I gotta say it's still not enough for me, Haha. If I'm not mistaken, there's still more to come from the author, so maybe the puzzles will be solved one day. It's just so annoying (not in a bad way) when the author knows exactly what the reader thinks while reading the stories, but he simply answers it in the stories too, saying- "It’s pointless to ask why; it’s just the rule." It doesn't make sense. I'm a logical person, and I need proper explanations about the whole concept of the story. I don't want to spoil anything, but you really need to read the books to understand what I'm talking about. One thing I didn't like about all of them is that they were kind of repetitive. From the summary, you already know the theme would be about people wanting to go back to the past. But there are rules to follow. The rules were being repeated so much that I was so sick of it at some point Haha. Regardless, if people come to me and ask about my top cozy book, I will definitely and confidently name these books. 

Love,

R.

Short Life Update: New beginning

Fuhh, it's been awhile. There's so much going on, and I would never have imagined my life was full of unexpected events that pretty much changed my life course. If you've read my previous post, you might know that I was at my lowest before this. Since then, I wouldn't say my life is better, but it's definitely improving. Though there's still a lot of trials and tribulations, I don't even know where to begin, really. So much happened in the years 2020-2022. While I'm writing this, it's January 2023. I don't think I'll finish sharing everything in this entry within this month because, huh, all the commitments and writing mood didn't come easily these days. ~ January 2023

🔅

Em, hello there, new update. Surprise! It's a new year. 2024 will be my year! BTW, I'm pregnant. My due date is supposed to be March 4th. Today is Monday, February 19. I cannot wait to meet my baby, my angel, and kickstart my motherhood journey. They say it will be tough. I'll be losing myself due to all the stress and trauma. I am scared, but I'm ready. I know I'll have my family as my support system, but more importantly, I believe I am blessed with a responsible husband. We'll make it through this together, as a family of four (Mommy, Daddy, Cik B and baby H). My pregnancy really takes a toll on my daily life, both mentally and physically. I lose confidence, I feel insecure, and it is okay. My feelings are valid. To see your body change 360° is overwhelming. You know it's changing for a good reason, but sometimes it's heartbreaking. Despite that, I feel content. I am carrying a gift from God 💓 Bismillah to a new journey. I will update more later on. Hopefully by this year too.. Hehe ~ February 2024

Love,
R.

2021

 It's amusing how time flies so fast. It feels like yesterday was my graduation day where the truth is a year has already passed by. Maybe a thought crossed your mind "She must be doing well now". Let me be honest, I'm not there yet. Like seasons, I'm constantly changing. I'm still trying to figure out my life. At one point, I'm happy with what I'm doing now. But life has its own ways to break my spirit. I feel so useless. I pray I'll be better soon. 

Till then, I hope I'm strong and brave enough to get through this motions of living without regrets.

Love,
R. 

*I'm doing okay now but it sucks to see you're far behind from some people. I'm writing this to remind myself in the future that I've been at my low during these time and I've survived.

HAPPY NEW ME!

(It's a late post but it's still a progress ..)

Hello and good day peeps.

I'm so excited like I'm so ready for new year, the beginning of my blank pages for 2020. There's a long listed things I'm so looking forward to achieve and in between I really hope and pray that I will always stay strong and don't give in easily. Since I was a kid, it kinda turns into a habit whenever the new year's coming in, I will grab my colorful pens and started to write down my goals for that particular year whether it's a general or specific one. However, I don't be hard on myself because we planned but sometimes God has something else for us in store. I will always try my best but if I can't cross off one from list, it's acceptable but only after sobbing my heart out. You make list in order for it to be achieved. So when it doesn't work out on that year, we can always bring it forward to the next year. You should never put it to stop unless you believe it's really is not yours and you've sacrifice a lot to get to where you are now. So, in short I'm currently in that situation where I have a list of goals that almost similar to last year. *freak out* 

The thing is 2019 was a really challenging year, it drained me mentally and physically. I was gaining more weight, I was degrading myself a lot and it really annoying that I prefer to sleep like there's no tomorrow instead of waking up and living my days to the fullest. I made mistakes. A really horrible one. And because of that event, it marked the turning point of my (our) lives. We both changed, into someone we're not comfortable in. Along the way, we tried to adjust and learn to communicate better. We fought a lot, even to the point of giving up with each other. But as bad as it was, we always find our back together. My final year project before graduating was also giving me the pain in the ass. I didn't cry much but it's really a tough journey. The lab works were easy whereas the people  inside the lab were not. It's not really a lose for me but I did lose a good friend of mine because of lab LOL. I was not responsible for his indecent behavior tho ==' when you're into something, you should do it attentively especially when it involves group work. 

The greater the storm, the brighter the rainbow will show after it. It's totally a lie if I say that my life was always down in the dumps. I did feel at ease and my heart was content at times as I met new people, invest in new hobby, working on a new job, going places I'm not familiar with and revisit the places of memory. I'm so pleased as punch as I'm making a trip down the memory lane. I had a pretty good memories too actually that will always be cherished forever. You’ve done great Raihana! 

I'm going to promise to myself that for 2020, I'll work on to love the person in the mirror more as it will definitely helps everything else to fall into line. And what most important is that I will respect, appreciate and value all the people who make me smile, laugh and feel loved. Plus, I will make a priority to go in nature more often and to enjoy the little things in life 💖 I don’t want to get too caught up in living to the fullest bcs taking a small step and enjoying the little things will make me happier. Try to capture more moments with polaroid camera because sometimes pictures just get lost and can be deleted unconsciously. With the advantage of the camera and by also printing the pictures out from the phone could actually give some fun as I’m gonna have a physical photos to look back throughout the year. I'll also plan my dream trip even if it's unlikely to happen maybe because of financial situation or the time of it but if I already get the details sorted it may likely to come into reality. And there's many more on the list but I'm just going to stop for now as I'm so sleepy it's midnight already and I have something big going to happen tomorrow. 

“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.” —John Pierpont “J.P.” Morgan

Cheers to the letting go of the past and to the beginning of a year full of wonderful and promising possibilities. 

Love,

R.

MY HOGWARTS HOUSE CHANGED ?!

(sometimes we sort too soon)

Good day everyone!

Honestly, this post has been in my draft since forever. I've always wanted to finish writing it but things got in my way hence, the procrastination. As stated, the title might not really captivating but i do hope it will inspire you in certain ways. Well,basically my Hogwarts house does not literally change because I used to decide which house I'm in solely by observing and admiring which one looks fun in the books and in the movies. As a result, the wrong choice (Doesn't suits my real character).

I always wondered how extraordinary, how amusing Gryffindor is all about especially people who representing the house as they exhibit the virtues of  courage, bravery and determination. Since most known me as a shy, intimidating and indecisive person, I would love to imagine myself as one of them and for once to feel full about myself.

So, to cut long story short, I took several tests which according to the final result, I will be assigned in the correct Hogwarts house, the place where I believe I should belong 😅

I got Ravenclaw house! hOw sURpRisINg is that ~ In fact, Ravenclaw is my second favorite house and speak of the truth, I actually might have what it takes to be in this house like how nerd and geek am I 😂 So, from now on, I am proudly announcing that I'm the most studious, quirkiest and wisest as far as I can be while upholding whatever it has to be a Ravenclaw hehe :3

On a side note, I'm still a Gryffindor fan ><

Lots of love.

FEBRUARY READING WRAP UP

Hye qtpies

It’s almost in the mid of March but hey I’m still going to do my February reading wrap up. It’s unbelievable how quickly this month has flown by and surprisingly I did better than in January! For this month, I’ve read a mixture of physical books and ebooks. Before this, I’m not a fan of ebooks because well for the ultimate reason, I really love the feeling of holding a book in my hands and the satisfaction of smelling the scent of each of the papers. It feels very rewarding the moment I flipped through the pages.  I guess that’s also the reason why the majority of us like to read books way back before ebooks did exist. I don’t have a particular reason why I finally decided to read ebook but I guess I want to experience and understand the hypes going on with the ebook. I have to agree that it’s very convenient and practical as I don’t have to tag along my book everywhere I go. One thing I love the most is because it is cheaper than physical books. I save more by buying ebooks. But if I have to choose, I am definitely on the physical books side. Back to reading, I managed to read a total of six books and I’m really proud of it. Here we go!

The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really liked her poem, it’s empowering and beautiful. She’s able to constructs words precisely what most people have been through and makes it sounds so real. Even though I can’t relate to all of it, there’s a lot that really touched my heart and evoke emotion.

Love & Misadventure by Lang Leav ⭐⭐⭐

I enjoyed it but it’s not like I’m obsessed with it. Personally, I found that the ending was better than the beginning. It’s easy to read and flows superbly. This book proved me wrong in the most doubting way because at the end I felt that this book was just okay and not what I’ve expected.

Always, and Forever Lara Jean by Jenny Han  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book is so amazing. It kept me engaged and the story is good enough that it intrigued me to continue on finishing the book. Something about this book filled a void in my soul as reading this really made me happy. The characters’ development is impressive especially Lara Jean and Peter since the first book. They are both getting better and have grown up so much. Lara Jean and her family do have a special place in my heart. Peter in this book is really good and definitely the best boyfriend ever. He is perfect in the realest sense. This book is the best among the three in the series mostly because everything is finally come together but I do in an urge to read more about our sweet guy, John Ambrose McClaren. The ending is flawless and cute when Peter tells her the first time ever he saw her. 

Twisted Summer by Willo Davis Roberts  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was slow to begin but by the end it was a pretty good book. Not many people enjoy it but I certainly find the story is interesting. It was a quick read and a really predictable one too actually. 

Lullabies by Lang Leav  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This one is better than the first book as it has more quality poems. I was absolutely dissolved in the words she’s written. However, there’s still inexplicable moment where I found that some of the poems are expressionless but it’s still a good read.

The Hazel Wood by Mellisa Albert   ⭐⭐⭐

Fuh! This one is tough. I’m not sure what to feel about this book. Part of me did enjoy it but another part is just wondering whether to love it or hate it. The magic in the story is quite questionable. The world is confusing. Not many of the characters stand out and are just blend. I give it 3 stars just because I do think that the idea of the story is appealing even I didn’t get the best experience I possibly could out of it. 

It’s an end now. Hope you’re staying warm and have a great day. 

Lots of love.