Waking Up in France
42 seconds ago
Goodbye Spotify Premium
April 28, 2017
Spotify has been a good friend to me since... I can't remember, more than a year maybe.
€0.99 for 3 months of Spotify Premium
For New Year promotion, Spotify offered that price. It was more cheaper to pay in Ringgit Malaysia, but there was some problem with my Malaysia Internet banking that time, I ended up paying with my debit card in Czech.
To be honest, I have no clue the difference between credit and debit card. As I thought my cards in Czech are debit cards, so far I don't encounter any problems paying anything that only accept credit cards. So, it is okayyy I guess, I am going to close the account here soon anyway.
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| Credit to the owner |
I totally love Spotify Premium. There are no other reasons than I can't afford it at €5.99 monthly. Haha. Cheapskate.
These are what Spotify offer with Premium and from my experience using it for 4 months I can say that Premium. Is. Awesome!
- Random play (means unlimited skips, replay any songs)
- No ads (well, YouTube has ads as well right -_-)
- Listen offline (good one as I always listen to songs when jogging)
- High sound quality (the audio is consistent compared to random downloaded songs)
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| Goodbye, I am going to miss you offline T_T |
I've been moving around so much the past 4 months (other than hibernating at home for exam periods). Spotify Premium has done a good role to keep me accompanied through out the journeys. Ahh T_T
I just realised there is an offer for students at €2.99/month. Should I?
Hahaha.
I wish Spotify reintroduce the lyrics feature again.
HK, Czech
170428
To Commemorate Isra Mi'raj
April 24, 2017
Naa, I am not going to write much. But, I guess other than talking to family and friends, this blog is a good place to rant my heart out. Well... not that all out. I kept many things to myself :) Yes, of course sharing with Allah in prayers is the ultimate way. ^_^
It is Isra Mi'raj today!
A day I totally did not realised until I saw this hashtag became trending (my own tailored trends) on Twitter. :)
Anyway, I posted a blog post about what can we learn from Isra Mi'raj about a year ago, if you would love to read, do check this link out.
http://m.www-674555.com/2016/05/belajar-dari-peristiwa-isra-mikraj.html
But no worries, I will share points on the life lessons from this event here, in this post. The previous post was in Malay, anyway :D
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| May Allah bless the owner of this graphic :) |
Salam Isra Mi'raj everyone!
1438H/2017M
Hope you guys have a great day today... it is holiday, anyway. Hehe.
HK, Czech
170424
2 Simple Ideas to Show Support For Earth Day 2017
April 22, 2017
This post has been in my draft for quite some time but I decided to share with you guys today, on Earth Day. If you are not aware about it yet, Earth Day is celebrated on 22nd April every year. As how we can expect to know, Earth Day aims to encourage people (which is US) to be more environmentally friendly.
And of course, there are many ideas to help the Earth. Two simple ways that I have already practiced for few years will be described to you in few seconds. Actually, I believe some of you already apply them in everyday life. Anyway, keep reading :)
1. Use shopping bags.It was very mainstream when there was once upon a time, people complained about how expensive it is to pay 20 cent for a plastic bag. To be honest, I am a happy person when I read the news. Why? I am totally agree with this initiative!
Yes, I know it is already implemented in most states in Malaysia and mostly it is only for Saturday. But, I think Penang already took a step forward to implement it every single day. Good job! And congratulations to Selangor as well, it started early January this year I think.
After living abroad for 5 years and counting, I believe we can do this, actually. It is hard to adapt at the very beginning but trust me, every changes towards the better side of us are challenging. But this one, worth our sweats and struggles.
Haha, berpeluh la sangat.
Haha, berpeluh la sangat.
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| There were countless time I went home hugging this cauliflower because I went to Tesco empty handed. |
A thing I don't really understand about supermarkets in Malaysia is... we can not bring backpacks inside. There were so many times, no matter which supermarkets they are... the security guards always check my backpack and seal the zip. Hmmm. I always try to explain that I want to use my backpack to put all stuffs I will buy soon. But....
Nak seal tu okay lah tapi nak cari gunting nak bukak balik tu... T_T
Okay, maybe they want to avoid people cheating or stealing, but... how do you feel when there are few women walking passing you into Tesco with handbags as big as your backpack and nobody stop her?
2. Recycle.I understand this takes quite an effort to distribute our trash into different categories. Basically all you need are 3 compartments (for the beginning).
- A dustbin for any trash that cannot be recycled (like left over food).
- Next one is a plastic bag to put all trash made of plastics.
- The last one is a box to put any paper trash.
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| Something like this. |
For some towns, you can get money from recycling. That's way better to get extra money although seriously not that much. I am not sure which states already implement this idea, but so far in my neighborhood in Sungai Siput, there is none. But, my dad usually ask people from recycle center to come to our house and pick up all trashes.
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| These are boxes I found in Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara. |
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| Meanwhile, there are the recycle bins in Hradec Kralove. Red = textile. Blue = paper. Yellow = plastic. I am not sure about green and white but one of them is for glass. Oh yea, brown bin for agriculture materials (?) like leaves, branches of trees. You can recycle batteries as well (this one usually in the supermarket) |
I am sure many of us have watched this video featuring Mat Luthfi :) Enjoy!
When You Shine Brightly, But...
April 21, 2017
The weather is playing tricks lately.
I have experienced a beautiful sunny day, just right after heavy morning rain. There was once, the city's sky delivered us hail stones instead of snow in other cities.... in spring. Yes, it was snowing in few cities to the south of Czech! Haha.
It is sunny right now. It looks very warm outside from the position I am writing this post, sitting on the bed while looking out of my rooftop windows. But, when I try to open the window... ouch, the cold wind suddenly blows onto my bare face. Checking the forecast right after that, hahaha no wonder.
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| -2 but shiny and 70% chance of rain tonight... wow |
Seems like I need to postpone my morning run again. There were few times, I went out running without checking the weather... I don't think I want to repeat those days. :p
I have been eating too much sweets lately... cakes, pastries, cookies, brownies. T_T My bad for not being able to constrain myself. My tummy is full but I really want to chew something. Something is wrong with my satiety center, maybe....
But, the smell of these food in the cafe is sooooo tempting!
And the weather is cold enough to have more food inside of me. :p
Banyak betul alasan.
“It does’t matter how rich, how pretty, how clever or how bright you are, there will always always be someone bigger and better than you.” - her dad.
When you already shine brightly, but you don't feel that way.
When you already shine brightly, but you think other people outshone you.
When you already shine brightly, but you fear you are not special in every single thing.
Take few minutes of our life daily to think about how we have encountered that day. Think about good things we have done, not to forget bad attitudes that we can improve ourselves.
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| Beautiful! |
The writer said at the end of the article, it depends on us to value ourselves. Know that we are special, love ourselves in the best possible way. If we can't feel that way, maybe we need to do something to shine as bright as others - in our own ways, our own capabilities.
Well, I agree, human will never satisfy with what we have and we tend to keep comparing. From one point, it is good not to stay in the comfort zone as we will keep improving ourselves. But, from another point, I bet we will get tired to be deeply jealous with other people.
They have flaws, so are we.
They have specialties, trust me, we have them too!
Love ourselves, okay?
Love others as well :)
p/s - Salam Jumaat and have an awesome weekend, everyone!
HK, Czech
170421
A Strange But Interesting Easter Tradition in Czechia
April 18, 2017
Easter.
It was a long weekend recently where Czechs can enjoy 4 days of holiday from Friday till Monday. Even though Easter is more significant for its religious reason, Czechs still celebrate it as holidays and of course with few traditions despite majority of the people are not religious. Like I have mentioned before, most of them are atheist.
There is another tradition in Czech that is kind of interesting, but... you guys who are reading this, just try to know it simply as general knowledge yea? Ala, macam mitos orang-orang tua kita, ada yang bermanfaat ada yang tak nampak pun sebab disebaliknya.
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| Once upon a time, I learned how to make this during Czech language class. |
Handmade whip - pomlázka
This whip made with willow rods (I have no idea what is the name in Malay - but you can google it if you want). It feels a bit different than normal rattan that Malaysians use and I don't think both of these whip and rattan are made from the same material.
The whip is used on Easter Monday by men to spank women, with no intention to hurt. They believe by spanking women, the women's health, beauty and fertility will be good until next year. Some even said that this spanking action can be used to show men's attraction to women.
But trust me, not all Czech women love this. :p
In return, women can seek revenge by throwing a bucket of ice to men. Or, some said if women want to respond to spanks, women can give colored eggs to the men.
Awkward. But, this is their tradition. I watched the spanking few times already, even in the Tesco between the workers. They are having fun on Sunday as they will have holiday on Monday. Have I told you, no shops (hmm at least 98%) are open on Monday! So, buy the groceries the day before :p
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| otevreno = open, zavreno = close |
I think you can read on Wikipedia for more details on Easter itself, well no harm to learn a bit about another religions. But, for simple ideas... let me share something about it.
- Easter is a festival where Christians celebrate as belief of resurrection of Jesus from death.
- The celebration starts on Friday (Good Friday - the crucifixion and death of Jesus).
- Easter is always on Sunday, so most countries will have Monday as public holiday.
- In Czech, Easter is significant with decorated eggs (chicken eggs with some decorations with dyes on the shells). There can also be chocolates in the shape of eggs as well.
Last year, on Easter's holidays I was enjoying my solo-trip to Slovenia.
And this year, ehmmm hello books, hello notes. :D
p/s - Czechia is the new English name of the Czech Republic.
HK, Czech
170418
A Gift From A Homeless
April 15, 2017
"Our hearts are not ours."
This simple quote hits my heart well. There was a tiring incident happen these past few days that I have encountered. Now, when thinking back over it after trying to calm myself, I've ended up with, "Biarlah. Let it go."
I went to study in the cafe while trying to detach myself from it. So, with Bismillah I started doing my revision although my mind just could not focus well. But at least I tried.
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| Easter's chocolate |
There was an old lady, aged around 60 who sat at the table in front of me. From her appearance and her 'bags', I realized she is a homeless. She was in the cafe trying to warm herself with a cup of porridge I guess. Oh, it was corn soup yesterday. Another thing, yep it was a bit windy yesterday. I sat quite close to the door, I could feel the coldness every time the door was opened.
She even slept for a while there.
After 2 hours approximately, she came to me asking about the time. With my poor Czech, we talked a bit about life. She could see I am studying my 'course' and hope that younger generations love to study as well (I am not sure if I understand this right). And well, another expected question was "Are you planning to stay?" How I wish haha. But nope, my decision is going home, I told her.
She looked tired. With an old sleeping bag, a worn out trousers and shoes, she walked out of the cafe, slowly.
Suddenly, I realized I have not done my infaq this month so I decided to give some to her. It was a pity that I did not bring much money. She was quite shocked and it was a bit awkward when people kept staring at us. But, I seriously cannot forget how bright her face was that time.
Allah, it is actually easy to make someone smile.
I continued studying and few hours later I saw her again. She came back with something in her grip. Walking to me, suddenly she said 'Assalamualaikum'. I am not sure if she is a Muslim or she simply knew I am a Muslim, but she thanked me so much. It was getting hard to understand what she was trying to say. Suddenly a young girl next to my table translated her words to me.
"The Easter chocolate is for you, she said she really appreciate your kind deed."
I. Am. Just. Fragile.
"Our hearts are not ours. We cannot even control our hearts, how can we expect to control others. Keep on praying to the Owner of these hearts."
I will, thanks my little sister for your beautiful sharing.
I am going home sooooon (hopefully for Eid), fighting Nina fighting! Less than 2 months left!
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