Four memorable experiences with people I met while travelling

4. Location: London
Me, my brother and friend were going to Pret-a-Manger near Portobello when the door got stuck. I was pushing and pulling back and forth (with all my might OK) when some foreign guy came behind me and rudely said "It says PULL", then yanked the door open. The only thing I regret was that I could only manage an awkward laugh at the time  and could not voice the trail of curses running through my mind.  (҂⌣̀_⌣́)

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3. Location: Japan
During my visit to Fukuoka in Autumn this year, my sister and I were at Hakata Mall waiting for a bus when an old lady passing us just suddenly started talking. Turns out she was asking whether it was hot under our hijab, and that we could take it off if we wanted to. I had mixed feelings about her but we just smiled and politely answered no, to which she remarked that we did look kind of cute. Naww (♥ó㉨ò)ﾉ♡

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2. Location: Flight

I met a guy on my flight to Taiwan while on the way to Japan. I was trying to be friendly since the flight was long and I was travelling alone (ugh), but he was kind of smug. Booo.... Anyway, I fell asleep even before we took off, and when I woke up accidentally started a conversation with him in a state of drowsiness... 

..and he ended up becoming so friendly through the entire flight. 

Moral of the story: looking dumb breaks the ice better than you think.

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1. Location: Flight
Number one experience - I met Laura from Dublin on the flight to Dubai, heading to Manchester. If I say this once, I've said this a thousand times -  travelling alone sucks, so I was so glad to have someone I clicked with so well. Unfortunately, there was a little-too-friendly Irish expat across our row who wouldn't stop talking to us. So I ended up minding my own business (not to mention not talking to Laura for most of the flight :( ) because he kept interrupting us and was SO IRRITATING. After that flight they left together with Laura's friend since they were all headed to Dublin.... and I left for Manchester with a heavy heart. .・゜゜・（／。＼）・゜゜・．

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Moral of the story: Never miss out on a chance to talk to people while you travel. 

(Also, if anyone knows of Laura from Dublin who used to stay in Australia in 2011 and worked in a pharmacy, please bring her to this blog!)

#PrayForMH370

My small and humble post dedicated to the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, whose disappearance on 8th of March 2014 shook the world.

May the crew and passengers always be under the protection of the Almighty.
لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله

Photo courtesy of my friend's Instagram @hdhania

Georama.com

Here's a new site where you can plan your travel according to the world map.

Georama.com helps you to plan your entire trip; your flight, accommodation, restaurants, gigs, attractions and so on, on a world map interface.

Watch me play around the website Check out how you can use Georama in the video below. You can also watch the video via YouTube and skip to parts where I use different tools offered by the website.

Enjoy!

Airplane Beauty Regime Part 4!

Click here to read the previous post in this series :)

So my own beauty regime is close to the video tutorial I posted before:

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Start off by wiping the face clean with water / toner (best choice) / face spray

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With clean hands, apply a thin layer of cream mask. If  there is acne, apply some acne cream / gel and skip the mask on these areas.

☼ If  using sheet mask, don't throw the extra essence as the mask can be soaked in it again / it can be massaged into the skin.

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Start applying hand cream all over the arms and neck, especially dry spots if you have any. Mine are my elbows.

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Repeat step 2 throughout the flight, especially when the mask feels like its drying out. Put on your eye mask and catch up on some sleep~

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About an hour or half before landing, wipe off the cream mask with water / toner (still best choice) / face spray. Move to step 6.

☼ If using sheet mask, discard the mask and keep rubbing in the essence. Using (most) sheet masks don't require you to wash off the essence anyway. 

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Apply a thin layer of moisturiser on your face 

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Some additional products you may use are eye cream / gel, lip balm and acne cream / gel. These are not for moisturising but are for target areas on the face which are more sensitive.

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Don't forget to do them all with after washing your hands (hand sanitizer works too) as the airplane is a dirty bacteria infested place.

Hope this helps for all beauty-conscious travellers out there ♥ xo

Airplane Beauty Regime Part 3!

Click here to read Part 2 of the series :) 

Products seen here:

1. Sasa Bulgarian Rose Whitening Mask

A sheet mask that is extremely fragrant and leaves your face with a slight glow after use

2. Sasa Rice Bran Antioxidant Mask

Used this during my excruciating long haul, and it made my skin feel really cleansed

3. Palmer's Olive Butter Formula

4. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula

Towards the end of my trip at UK, my legs (shins) got extra dry and started to itch, so I tried several moisturisers for relief. This butter worked like magic. If you ever have the same problem, use this butter formula!

5. L'Occitane Cream Mask

A good alternative if you feel conscious about using sheet masks in a crowded space. This mask glides smoothly and doesn't have an annoying sticky feel. I applied it frequently, especially when it started drying out on my face. I even slept with this mask on.

6. L'Occitane Moisturizing Face Lotion with organic olive tree extracts

A good finish after using the cream mask, though the smell is a little strong and distinct.

For a step-by-step of my Airline Beauty Regime, stay tuned!

Airplane Beauty Regime Part 2!

Ever since I watched this video, I've been inspired to turn my flight experiences into my very own spa sessions <3

This is such a good idea I don't know why I never thought of it. I barely have time to pamper myself now; having a DIY spa 30,000 feet in the air with 12+ hours alone is a beauty revelation!

Here are some stuff I took onboard the flight to create my own spa session:

Top photo: 

1. ZA Energy Mist with Vitamin B. This is used to wipe the mask off my face. It comes in handy especially when the bathroom (sink) is hard to go to.

2. L'Occitane Dry Skin Hand Cream. This hand cream is sample-sized, which is a life saver  when travelling.

3. Darphin Redness Relief Recovery Cream. This is my everyday moisturiser which I can't live without so it had to come with me.

Bottom photo*: 

Before I explain the products in this photo, let me introduce my very own formula for flight spas, which is

the 2Ms - Mask and Moisturiser

Here's why this formula works:

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It's a really practical and effective formula, especially for those who are less fussy and want to have a simple beauty regime onboard their flight

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With only face mask and skin moisturiser, be prepared to end your flight with your skin feeling oh-so pampered, so healthy and so moisturized~ 

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Also, take note that I brought several masks and moisturisers only because I wanted to try out different products and also to save for the return flights. I may have missed out using a few, which means bringing only one kind of mask and skin moisturiser is perfectly fine. Just remember to bring enough of them!

I will be explaining the products in the second photo in Airplane Beauty Regime Part 3, so stay tuned! ☺xo

Long Airport Transfers

Longest airport transfer experienced: 16 hours in Hong Kong

Most recent long haul: 7 hours in Abu Dhabi :(

I always underestimate the effect of a long haul, especially at night time......

Big mistake. 

These hauls can get you bored, irritated, restless and also worsen your jetlag. So here are some tips* on facing long transits comfortably :)

1. Cash*

When I left UK, I had finished my pound currency and didn't prepare any cash for the flight haul, since I thought I could survive without it. Bad idea! Cash is always essential, even if a little, for emergency cases. 

2. Charged phone or tablet

I emphasize "charged". Otherwise, never board without a charger in your hand luggage.

3. Meals

Plan your meals so that you have breakfast, lunch and dinner on time. Pack food or find out suitable places* to eat at the airport you are heading to. Otherwise you will be stuck for 7 hours surviving on crisps!

4. Cozy spot

This depends a lot on the facilities of the airport. For me, I find multi-faith rooms a blessing. There I can sit, sleep, lie down, eat, drink, basically do anything in private (just remember to keep clean to respect others)

5. Clothing

I sometimes forget how cold it can get when staying long hours in an airport. If you're on a commercial flight and they hand you a free blanket, remember to take with you (most airlines won't mind this)

6. Company

Most important of all, try your best to travel with a friend. Having an actual person to talk to instead of looking through Twitter is always a better choice when travelling <3

*Refers to travellers on a budget, not family holidays or luxury holidays where you usually prepare plenty of money for shopping and dining ;)