Stay Comfortable in a Flight

I'm pretty sure most of us have been in a plane at least once in our life. We will be more and more familiar with it if we live abroad or travel a lot. 3-4 hours flight isn't really a big problem. The problem starts when it is a long-haul flight. I was struggling to stay comfortable in a long-haul flight. Before this I always search on
Google "how to be comfortable in flight", "how to stay hydrated in a flight", or "tips of travelling with flight".

Choosing a seat suitable to yourself (for example windows seat) is not enough to make you feel comfortable.
So here I will compile every tips I gathered from Internet which I personally do. It does help making my flight's experiences better and more comfortable.


Stay Loose
What I mean is wear a loose clothes. You will be wearing the same clothes and sitting on the same place for more than 6 hours. By wearing loose clothes, any movement within your seat will be easier. Jeans, tight and exposing top, heavy shoes and multiple complicated hijab's wrap is a big no. What I do are :

Bottom : Maxi skirt or Palazzo
Top : loose long-sleeved blouse/T-shirt
Hijab : a simple Tudung Bawal or instant hijab
Shoes : Slip-on sneakers 

To make things easier wear a maxi dress. one-pieced clothes can't go wrong. Long-sleeved is recommended to avoid getting cold and dehydrated. A pair of slip-on sneakers makes it easier for you to take off your shoes when seated and faster for you to wear shoes when you need to go to the toilet. You definitely don't want to go to the bathroom barefoot!


Stay Hydrated
Dehydration is usually the most annoying about long-haul flight. Have you ever woke up from your sleep, only to feel dry at you face, throat? I have. And during my last flight I prepared everything I need to stay hydrated during my flight. What I brought with me was :

Nasal Spray, mineral water, all-in-one lotion (body, face, hand lotion), Lip balm, a water/facial spray, eye lubricant

Remember to put everything from this list inside a liquid-bag. I used all of these every 30-45 minutes. Well, sure the people next to me find me a bit weird but instead of worrying about what people thinks, I better worry about myself. Buy a mineral water after security's check to avoid wasting your money. If you don't want to buy a mineral water, you can always ask for water from the flight-attendants.


Stay Active
Have you ever heard of "Economy-class Syndrome"? If you don't, I suggest you better click that link I provided earlier. It apparently got its name because people experiencing this symptom usually sits in economy class with less area to move around unlike those in business/first class. This is important knowledge for an air traveler despite its ridiculous name because it have cause death in a few cases. So, the only way to avoid this syndrome is by moving around and staying active. Nowadays, the in-flight entertainment system also provide a simple exercise's guide. It will be better if you could walk around the cabin for a few minutes after sitting for a long time. If you are lucky, a pair of sock is provided inside in-flight comfort kit. This sock is specially made to improve blood circulation in your feet and legs.


Sleep Tight

Travel Kit from H&M

If pillow inside the cabin isn't enough for you, then you should bring a neck pillow. A neck pillow can avoid a neck pain as your neck moves around during your sleep. To remove any unpleasant noise, it is recommended to have a noise-cancelling headphone (which can be quite pricey but a good investment) or and earplug (make sure you don't miss any meal). Bring also a eye-mask to avoid those bright light.


I hope these tips help you stay comfortable in your next flight. :-)

A Dream Come True

-The following is my personal (and LONG) review, experiences and observation on Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Concert (Nanda Collection World Tour 2014) at Cologne, Germany on 27th April 2014-  

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. A Harajuku icon. A Japanese pop culture ambassador. An Aidoru (アイドル）. For Kyary's second world tour, she choose to do one of her concert in Cologne, Germany. From the day they announce the selling of the ticket, I revisited the website many times without buying the tickets. Until the third day of ticket's sale, I finally bought one. I'm glad that I bought the ticket. Unlike other venue, the tickets for her concert in Cologne sold out completely! No one resell their ticket.

I never been to a concert before. I'm quite nervous because I'm going to Cologne alone. I also dislike the idea of being in a crowded place. So Concert isn't really my thing. But since I want to see Kyary live in front of me, I decided to do it! Kyary is so special!   I went to Gloria with a perfect timing. I stood in line not to far behind and not in front. But I still manage to stand third row from the stage. From what I observed, some of them cut the queue even though they arrived late, just because they know someone in front. I saw around 20 person did this. I'm quite upset about this.   Nevertheless the mood was superb! As expected a lot of people did Kyary's cosplay and some wore their own version of grotesque kawaii and lolita fashion. Harajuku Kawaii TV took some photo of these people.  

Honestly I was tired by the time the concert start since I've been standing on my feet 3 hours straight. My position for the whole concert were great. I got quite a large place for me to wave my hand, dance and jump. I'm lucky because everyone standing around me were girls. I'm quite glad I could go home right after the concert ends and get some rest, thanks to multiple concert tips from the ultimate Kyary fan's Tumblr, Kyarychan! 2 of of the tips mention really help me maximizing my Kyary's experience - Arrive and get in line early & Buy merchandice before the concert start. Thanks to those tips, I can avoid the long queue after the concert and lack of t-shirt's size. I bought a blue T-shirt for a price of €20.

I was too happy when I saw Kyary came out to the stage. It is definitely a dream come true! I sang along to every song, words by words for the whole 1 hour and a half (8.00-9.30 pm). That was my way of making the €33-ticket worth it. A Japanese family praised me and said they were impressed that I know the songs very well not just the chorus. They said a non Japanese usually know only the chorus. *blush* I am disappointed that Kyary didn't sing Girigiri Safe, Noriko to Norio, Kimi ni 100% and Slow Mo. (Me being a selfish fan) Nevertheless the concert were still awesome with 4 energetic dancers and especially a clip where Kyary show a few Japanese culture. In the clip, she did Rakugo, played Poker and become a Rebel Girl with bikers jacket and hairstyle. (Clip for her show, TV JOHN)

Clips that I recorded last night! 

Kyary greet the audience in English with a few German sentences such as "Guten Tag" and "Habt viel Spaß zusammen". She also mention that not only English, German language are hard too. She told us that she ate sausage and visit the Grand Cathedral. I'm quite proud of myself being able to understand everything she said in japanese. The time I spent watching all those Japanese drama and listening to JPop are not a waste of time!

I will never forget this concert! I choose Kyary for my first concert, and probably the last too if Hatsune Miku's concert isn't happening anywhere near me (Malaysia/Germany). I hope that if I have the chance to go to Kyary's Concert again, I will go with a friend who is also a Kyary fan just like me!

Tiergarten, Nürnberg

This is definitely my first trip to  zoo in Germany. Or perhaps for such a long long time. On last Saturday, we all headed to Tiergarten Nürnberg. The tram ends right in front of the zoo, so it kinda makes things easier if one desire to go with public transport.

The feel I get inside the zoo is definitely different than a zoo in Malaysia. I would say the zoo in Malaysia is more compact and full with Animals. Here, the zoo are design to give a park-like feel. The pen and cage for the animals are huge. there are also a lot of open space if a family want to have a picnic. A lot of benches makes it easier to rest when walking through the zoo. At the restaurant, a few microwave are prepared in case one brings their own food.

I didn't take a lot of picture as the animals are moving or probably just sleeping. The pictures isn't going to be interesting. Meh. So I took a lot of videos.

Enjoy!

snacks for Dolphins' show

Monkeys out!

After dolphins and sea lions show

Flamingos

Muka serabai hence the cover. Oh Oh Tee Dee

Foundation of Faith

My trip to Hamburg was basically to attend a talk given by Brother Nouman Ali Khan. The event target to cater only small group of people at first. But due to overwhelming RSVP from all over Germany or perhaps neighbouring country as well, the venue was change at last minute to a big auditorium in University Hamburg called Audi Max. 

That night is my first time seeing so many people with Hijab in one place here in Germany. Quite touching moment per se. Half of the hall was full with both men and women. I saw quite a few German face too. The talk was short and meaningful. He was so considerate with mother who came with children. 

most of them are busy taking selfie together. So we took a few too

A few points I got regarding to how we could nuture and nourish our faith and properties of a good mind:

1. Make sure we have the ability to think clearly. Remove any distractions.
2. Take on useful information. Nowdays everything is information but ability to distinguish which is infos is useful. Eg : Knowing a gossip is a useless info. 
3. Remember God seconds. Eg : Reciting zikr with your heart.
4. Reflect on Allah's Creations. 
5. Nurture both intelectual and spirituality. 
6. Reflect on Al-Qur'an
7. Reflect on your heart to see whether any contradictions exist. Discuss it instead of keeping it to yourself.

His point regarding balancing our life and spirituality what amazed me. Remembering Allah isn't only when doing specific ibadah but making our entire life an ibadah. When we reflects on skies and earth, we remember Allah. When we help others, we remember Allah.

So no more talk. Here is the video from the talk I attended in Hamburg.

Hamburg, Germany

Travelog using S-Note by Samsung Note 10.1

Fancy Crêpe

Since I got involved with the Melody of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, anything related to Harajuku makes me crazy. But to dress just like them is out of my league. So I try to embrace the other part of Harajuku. The food. As they promotes all sort of kawaii genre, even the foods are kawaii. And for me ichiban kawaii is its crêpe.

So this is my attempt to make Harajuku/Japanese-inspired crêpe.

I watched some YouTube video in order to decorate the crêpe. Not exactly kawaii but quite okay for a beginner. Topping I used is instant whip cream, banana, and strawberry sauce. You could add any type of topping you desire. Use fruits, ice creams and sweet sauce such as chocolate sauce or honey. If you are not a sweet tooth, use meat, cheese and sauce like the one sell by Hot & Roll in Malaysia. So here is the final result, a normal triangle crêpe fold or a cone like the one sell in Harajuku.

Recipe (in Malay) here

My Handwriting's Analysis

I'd say this the result is quite accurate for me. 98% correct for my Handwriting analysis.My handwriting are :

1. Large letter
2. Wide spacing
3. Slant to the left
4. Connected lettters
5. Narrow loop for small L & E
6. Slashing my small I
7. Long top and at the top for T
8. Closed O
9. Wide at the bottom for small S
10. Left-Hand margin
11. Heavy pressure when writing
12. Write quickly
13. Not legible signature

The Story of Robert Davila

I never ask you guys to click or follow something. 

But this time I will.

Please click and watch this video. Get inspired!

Share it! Make it viral!

This is the kind of video that should go viral, not a cat playing piano.

Kepoh : Eh, tak ada logo Halal. Benda ni Haram!

Mulanya aku ingat nak tulis post kali ni dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Tapi memandangkan target audience aku (walaupun tak banyak) adalah rakyat Malaysia aku buat keputusan untuk tulis dalam Bahasa Melayu.

Sejak kebelakangan ni kecoh kat Facebook kata biskut Pepero keluaran syarikat Korea Lotte tu haram dimakan sebab tak ada logo halal. Aku memilih untuk berdiam diri pada mulanya sebab aku tak pernah makan biskut tu. Lagi satu tak ada siapa yang dapat aku rujuk yakni pelajar Malaysia Islam di Korea berkenaan biskut ni. Dan hari aku terbaca Ulasan dari Isteri Ally Iskandar yang menjelaskan isu biskut ni. Aku tak nak tulis ulasan tu kat sini. Korang boleh baca sendiri kat link ni.

Tak semestinya tiada logo halal bermakna makanan tersebut haram untuk dimakan kan.? Kering kontang lah badan kami, pelajar Muslim yang belajar di negara bukan islam, jika hanya memilih makanan yang ada ‘cop’ halal.

Aku tertarik dengan statement kak Farah Lee ni. Kita semua ni hidup dibumi Allah yang mana rezekinya kita tak boleh nak hitung bilangan dan nilainya. Mana mungkin la Allah akan biarkan hambaNya di negara bukan Islam kelaparan. Tak ada pun ayat Al-Qur'an, Hadis atau fatwa yang kata kalau makanan tu tak ada logo halal maknanya dia 100% haram. Logo halal adalah alternatif untuk meyakinkan pengguna Islam bahawa makanan ini telah diperiksa dan disahkan status halalnya. Kalau dah korang obses sangat dengan statement "Tak ada logo halal maknanya haram", awat hangpa tak tinggai tengok artis korea menari menyanyi pakai baju tak cukup kain? Tu pun haram juga.

Hidup aku bab makanan sejak aku mula belajar di Jerman ni ada dua mode. Satu mode Malaysia, satu mode Jerman. Mode Malaysia bermakna kalau aku di Malaysia, aku hanya akan sentuh makanan yang ada logo Halal JAKIM. Fullstop. Selain dari tu, walaupun tak ada bahan mencurigakan, aku takkan makan. Mode Jerman aku adalah mana2 makanan yang aku dah pasti status halalnya walaupun tanpa logo halal (cth : produk makanan yang 100% dari sumber tumbuhan) aku akan makan. Aku takkan praktikkan mode Jerman aku ni kat Malaysia. Kenapa? Salah satunya aku dididik macam tu oleh mama. Yang kedua sebab logo halal JAKIM tu dah cukup bagi aku. Aku ingat lagi dulu mama tak bagi aku makan dekat Old Town White Coffee sebab tak ada sijil halal JAKIM. Memang terliur gila tengok member makan, Aku hanya order kopi dia yang sedap tu je. Alhamdulillah, sekarang dah ada logo halal JAKIM dan dekat Old Town White Coffee Jalan TAR siap gantung besar2 depan kedai logo halal ni. Tu mode Malaysia aku.

Kalau kat Jerman ni, bila aku yakin produk makanan tu tak ada bahan mencurigakan (alkohol, gelatin etc) aku akan makan. Selalunya produk makanan yang sesuai untuk Vegetarian/Vegan atau makanan laut (tentunya kena make sure tak ada alkohol dalam masakan)  ni la yang menyelamatkan aku kat sini. Dulu aku selalu tertanya2 kenapa la orang yang bukan Islam ni, yang boleh makan apa jenis daging dia nak makan ni memilih untuk jadi Vegetarian/Vegan. Rugi kot! Ayam punya la sedap. Tapi sekarang baru aku tahu. Semua yang wujud kat bumi ni ada tujuan dia. Begitu jugalah Vegetarian/Vegan. Pada diorang mungkin sebab diorang kesian tengok binatang dibunuh untuk dijadikan makanan. Pada aku, diorang ni wujud untuk kasi kami orang islam di negara bukan islam ni satu pilihan makanan. Aku sangat lega kalau aku jumpa restoren dengan menu Vegetarian bila aku pergi jalan2 kat tempat yang sangat kurang kedai makan yang halal. Contoh masa aku ke Prague. Aku tak jumpa satu pun kedai makan halal, jadi aku hidup dua hari di Prague dengan makan snek manis macam Crepes, Trdlo atau Pommes aka French Fries. Hari terakhir aku kat Prague baru aku jumpa kedai Kebab berlogo Halal.

Sampai sekarang ada je lagi yang bila tengok gambar aku makan kat restoren bukan Islam, atau aku makan snek2 dari Jerman ni, ada je lagi yang tanya "Eh halal ke benda tu?". Aku kadang2 malas nak layan. Kalau dah geram sangat aku jawab je "Tak halal. Ada babi dalam ni. Pastu ada arak"





p/s : Bila aku terbaca pasal Pepero ni, feeling aku sama macam masa aku baca komen seorang hamba Allah kat gambar Diana Amir solat lepas akad nikah. "Eh, solat tak pakai telekung?!". Benda yang sama jadi kat adik aku bila dia solat tak pakai telekung kat surau The Curve. Ada mak cik tegur dia suruh dia pakai telekung dan solat balik. facepalm!