#REFA18

I came across the poster for Rainforest Eco Fest Asia 2018 on Twitter last month. I retweeted it, not thinking much of it but just a promising event being held so close to home. Then, Alya replied to the tweet thinking that it would be a good idea to approach them if we could open a booth at the fest and to our surprise, we were given a free exhibition booth. We have worked very hard approaching to this day. The fashion team set up an Instagram account to gain more visibility to the eyes of the public, came up with designs for freebies and the photo backdrop for our booth. I am so proud of the fashion team for our hardwork and communication to get everything done in time for the event.

We were disappointed with the organizers on Friday for not being able to start the event according to plan. We have already delegated people for the two shifts on Friday but it had to be cancelled as the event venue was not set up. Thankfully, there were a fair size of crowd that came up on both Saturday and Sunday as some local bands were performing. But the event was still not as big as we expected it to be as there were only less than 10 booths open on both days. Nevertheless, the whole team has made such a great effort at pulling people to listen to illegal wildlife trade, why we should stop it and how we can stop it. Guests of our booth also enjoyed our games that we set up and the freebies that we provided. I very much look forward to participating in creating awareness again.

Social Engagement: Journal Entry 1

This semester, we were told to take the subject Social Engagement and our first task is to write a journal entry, starting with what we expect from the course. The university encourages students to publish a blog on the progress of the course. Although the blog is optional, I think it is actually a great idea, so why not take this opportunity to write on my blog again? Here goes my first entry:

At the end of our final exams in semester 1, we were surprised to see students from other programs already planning for Social Engagement  as we were not briefed about the course at all at that time. I asked a few of the seniors on what we are supposed to do for the course and they explained that our lecturer, Dr Yong has his ways and we are probably going to do something in the lines of wildlife conservation. Choosing this program for the sole reason of being a conservationist, I was excited to hear that!

Last Friday, we had a briefing for the subject. It was a mass briefing, students from all Institut Sains Biologi (ISB) programs were grouped together while Dr Shamsul introduced the subject. Dr Shamsul talked about going to kampungs or helping out communities and at that point I was a bit bummed. Do not get me wrong, I love volunteer work and helping out communities but I was expecting to work with NGOs on saving our planet because that is something you do not usually get to experience as compared to community services.

The second part of the briefing was where each lecturer from each program briefed their own students. So there goes 25 Ecology Biodiversity (PEB) students outside of Dewan Kuliah 4 with Dr Yong to talk about our social engagement project. Dr Yong said that PEB students will not go to kampungs and we will work on something more related to our program. At this point I could already guess that we will be doing something in the lines of conservation after all!

Dr Yong explained that we will carry out a social awareness program to educate the public on wildlife trafficking. Dr Yong also commented that the Malesian Region is one of the richest regions in biodiversity but because we are a developing country, we are losing our biodiversity at an alarming rate. He continued to talk about the illegal activities in Malaysia such as people selling wildlife as pets; killing the parents, killing wildlife to make ointments and that just made me sad. I could choose to be angry about it but sometimes the consumers of these products do not know any better, so it is our responsibilities to create awareness and tell the public that this is wrong and why it is wrong.

My expectations from this course, specifically this project is for it to give me an initial insight on how wildlife conservation is conducted in Malaysia and become a stepping stone for me to become a wildlife conservationist. Also from this project, I wish to educate the public about saving our biodiversity and continue the war against wildlife trafficking. With what little efforts that 29 students could do, I hope it gives out an impact to the community and leaves a positive trace to our wildlife. Who else is going to protect out rich environment if it is not ourselves? We were saddened over the news that our Sumatran rhinos were declared extinct in Malaysia but did we take public action to save them and other wildlife? Isnt it ironic that the mascot to our latest Southeast Asia (SEA) Games, Kuala Lumpur 2017 was Rimau but we are doing nothing as a community to protect our Malayan tigers?

New year, same old cliches

Okay, I know I have not been writing for a long time and it is just too cliche(?) of me to suddenly pop a post up a day after new years. But hey, lemme just get back to what I wanna do.

2017 has been a meh year for me. Didnt do much, distanced myself from a lot of stuff after a helluva 2016 but towards the end, it was a memorable one.

#PestaNITA

Happening from 10 a.m. till 10 p.m. today at A Place Where, Bangsar, PestaNITA by ADINDA Malaysia will showcase local talents especially our strong ladies from a variety aspects. The event will be separated to several sessions comprising of bazaars, workshops, arts etc. Catch Bukuku Press, Hey Skin, Buih.co and more of our local entrepreneurs at #PasarPerabihDuit bazaar and dont forget to bring your cash to bring home goodies for yourself. What is a pesta without food? So of course there will be a section dedicated to food to cater to the ever so hard question; #MakanMana?

Apart from food and shopping, free workshops will be conducted all through the day! Join in and come try out your skills in carpentry, leather making, brush lettering and also silk screening. These workshops will be under #PeluhJantan section of the event but do not let the name fool you, I am pretty sure there are plenty of ladies there that can get down and dirty to learn new skills. If that aint your thing, there will also be movie screenings for you to just lepak and chill with your friends over at #TengokTV.

Not to forget, there will be two  stages on-going throughout the event, one being #SembangLebat- dialogues with interesting topics such as Ritma dan Nadi Puisi dalam Politik and Feminism vs Women Empowerment to name a few. I am very excited to see Kakiseni president and former 3R host, Low Ngai Yuen discussing one of the topics. The other stage will be focused mainly on performances starting off with #KataKata, a spoken word session featuring Jamal Raslan, Ashikin M., Budi Citawan and Anis K. In the evening, the stage will then transition into #HalwaTelinga warming up with Darleen Zakir and Shuuna and by nighttime more bands will perform (super excited for The Venopian Solitude!).

Entrance is free!

So, shall I see you today?

My Hero

If you follow @twt_filem on twitter or always have your eyes open to the now showing section of a cinema, you might have come across the movie title Adiwiraku. Fortunately for me, my bestfriend is an avid movie goer and we share an interest of watching local movies whenever we get the chance. Last Friday, we planned to go and watch Adiwiraku but unfortunately there were only a few theaters still showing the movie although it was only one week after its release. However, we still made our way to Mid Valley despite the horrible weather that day (it was raining like craaaaay! Federal highway banjir woi!) and managed to catch a screening.




Is it a bird?
Is it a plane?

Oh no, it is just you saving the world.

I did not know much about the movie before stepping in to the cinema. All I knew about the movie was a teacher in a small town school leading its choral speaking team to a district competition. To be very honest, the movie in general was average to me. The acting was a bit cringey and it was a bit slow paced but I have zero knowledge in movie-making, so lets just end that there. But what I did not know was quite a number of the cast were actual students of SMK Pinang Tunggal and a part of the original choral speaking team! Yes, the original team! This movie was based on a true story that happened only two years ago. 

Although I said earlier that this was an average movie, but in terms of a story, it really hits me on my soft spots. Mcfarland USA, Freedom Writers and Coach Carter are a few movies that I love watching because one- they are about educators going beyond the classroom or curriculum to lead their students and two- they are based on true stories. Freedom Writers is easily in my top five favorite movie list so to see a local movie very similar to the movies I look up to is very heartwarming to me. I am a very emotional person so a few scenes did make me shed a tear (akak sebelah I pun nangis gak k dont judge me hahhaa)

I never wanted to be a teacher because I know I am bad at teaching and I am not really good with kids but I really want to be an educator. I want to instill good manners, common courtesy and kindness to the people around me, especially the young ones. I want them to know that life can get bumpy and thats okay. I think being an educator is the closest thing you can get to being a superhero. Although in the movie, Cheryl Ann Fernando thought of the kids as her superheroes, but to me, she is the superhero. I am greatful enough to have teachers who are also educators leading me as I grow up, not just teachers though, family, friends, whoever that have helped me get through hardships. Come to think of it, the kids were superheroes too, as they showed such perseverance to anyone who doubted this kampong school.

Anybody wants to watch the movie, you can still watch it in Alamanda! I know it is a bit far but it is the only cinema showing it in the area. Kedahans can watch this in Jitra Mall. 

Read the article on the original victory of SMK Pinang Tunggal here.

#WonderWomenPublika

Hello!

Beautiful balloon decorations from WhichKraft, one of WonderWomen sponsor!

Earlier this week, I was introduced to the Wonder Women bazaar that is happening from 24th to 26th of February inn Publika Shopping Gallery. The Wonder Women bazaar is Publika’s Fuyoh Art Bazaar with a twist of femininity. For the first time ever, Fuyoh Art Bazaar goes total girl power with participation of 100% women vendors. This event which is a collaboration by Publika and Makers&Co showcases our amazingly creative women entrepreneurs in celebration of the upcoming International Women’s Day. Over 40 businesswomen in arts, craft and humanity sectors joined together to make this event a success. Fuyoh Art Bazaar has been in the scene since the start of Publika’s operation in 2011 and appreciates self-expression and individuality of local talents.

Owner Hooi Yin with her amazing artworks!

One of the vendors that I was really excited for was Tinypinc! Tinypinc models polymer clay into tiny little food-shaped trinkets and sells them as jewellery such as bangles, necklaces and earstuds. The tiny polymer clay charms are molded into various forms of our favorite dishes from desserts such as macarons and ice cream to local favorites like nasi lemak, angku kueh and kueh bahulu! This business that started 7 years ago has been in the international market, selling her products on Etsy, AmazonHandmade and also their website. The brains (and hands!) behind this yummy little business, Hooi Yin saw that most of the polymer products made by other international crafters were pretty similar to each other and had the idea of making local delicacies that represents Malaysia and reminded her of her childhood.

Looooook at those tiny treats!!

The WonderWomen bazaar did not limit themselves to our Wanita Malaysia but saw a few international ladypreneurs as well! Willimina Hand-Made Jewelry has a very interesting story behind it. It started out 3 years ago when Wilma and John Bunk, a couple from Holland were cleaning the beaches of Penang and used pieces of shells and aluminium to create unique jewellery with the inspiration of the beaches. Up until now, their pieces are still made from the same source and each piece is no same to another to ensure everyone gets their own one of a kind accessory.  

Left: Willimina Hand-Made Jewelry || Right: The couple behind Souk Stroll at their boho-chic booth

Owner of Souk Stroll, Asma who came from Morocco with her husband decided to start up her own business and focuses on bringing goods from the Maghrebi country. This young business offers handbags with a traditional twist and also one of the must haves for every woman’s skincare and haircare routine; argan oil! The bags are handmade by women of the mountain tribe using the materials from traditional Berber designed carpets, giving this modern day accessory a traditional Moroccan vibe. 

Sharon Chai with her DIY dreamcatcher station where you can choose your own colours!

Anybody who knows me personally, knows I love to craft so I’ll get  really excited when I see a DIY craft kit! Sharon of Dreamchaser has always been business-minded from she was younger. At the tender age of 17, she wanted to try making her own dreamcatcher after seeing that a lot of ready made dreamcatchers are priced at up to RM200. But she then realized that even the materials used to make a single dreamcatcher were quite expensive. It then gave her an idea to start importing materials and selling them herself and eventually she came out with do-it-yourself dreamcatcher craft kits so that everyone can have a go at making their own dreamcatchers at a very affordable price! 

Quick selfie with Philo before we started strolling around at the bazaar

Before I left the event, I managed to have a little chat with Philo, the director of Love Is and also one of the women who made the WonderWomen event a success on her hopes for the event. She believes that this event acts as a platform for women entrepreneurs who are still shy and afraid to bud out to get an opportunity to stand alongside other strong women in their field and build their confidence in branching out their businesses. She also hopes that this bazaar can be an annual event to commemorate all our strong ladypreneurs. Philo is also one of the women behind The Independent Pet Adoption Network where they have rescued a lot of cats and dogs from being strays on the streets. 

Photos I managed to take during the event:

Petite Fizzies from Love Is that smells oh so great!

There were also live painting sessions from our artists! In photo: Thineswari Govindasamy

Left: Mixed material artworks by Shakti D || Right: Speed paintings by Haze Long

Actual rescues from The Independent Pet Adoption Network on the notebook covers!

Left: Dreamcatchers from DStyleo Handmade || Right: Custom engrave bracelets from Sillynuts

Cute pillows with illustrations of familiar sights in KL and Penang from NOOX

With all the bloggers for the day

Twenty-Sixteen

New Year 2016 ; Primrose Hill, London.

Another year, another chapter in life. I know everybody has complained on how 2016 has been the worst year by far ( with passings of many many beloved names, RIP Harambe ) but also personally 2016 was rough on me. It started out with a lot of hope; with the whole idea of turning 21 and whatnot. But oh boy did that light of hope dim in a split second. Of course never in my life had I imagine that I would be celebrating New Years Eve in London, a city far away from Shah Alam with my bestfriend, it was indeed  a beautiful start. But as the year progressed, I did not. Finding myself sitting under the duvet, people wondering if I was in town when I actually was but people just rarely saw the sight of me, my brain draining all the positivity away that I was only left with dark ideas. 

If I were to travel back in time to meet my teenage self, I would tell her to not look forward on turning 21. I dont know, all my life, turning 21 was one of the things I looked forward to due to the whole turning into an adult and getting my key to freedom or whatever. But oh boy my 21st birthday was literally the most depressing birthday ever, I am not even kidding. Don't want to go further on this because everybody is probably tired of everyone's story of fighting depression and blah blah blah. 

It was kind of hard to try and remember anything good from this year ( that happened personally ) but here goes a very mediocre list on my highlights of 2016 in no particular order;

• New Year's eve in London 

• Never did 15 year old Fathishah and Syaziyah ever pictured themselves six years from then, they'd be celebrating New Year's eve together in the suburbs of London. The struggle of 3 tiny southeast asian girls to get through the jam packed crowd trying to enter Chalk Farm station after the celebration was unforgettable. Then waited for the bus to get back to our hotel at a little past 1a.m. in zone 6 of London, might I add; in winter. Then had to send them to Heathrow the next morning sobs ;(

• Getting a cat



Yoshi, a day after adoption

• After making the decision of taking the year off, I thought getting a cat would be real good therapy for me. All my life, there was never a point where I did not have a cat around the house, at least up until I flew to GB. So somewhere in August, I adopted Yoshi and basically shes my roommate now because she sleeps, eats, shit in my room. Of course the last part is in her litter box, in my bathroom. 
• Hair makeover
• I started bleaching my hair late last year and started dyeing my hair since earlier this year. It was tween Fathishah's life long dream to have green or purple hair and in one year, she has had 9 colours in her hair.

• Volunteering; SFKL & cat shelter.
• The cat shelter thing was supposed to be a job but it only lasted a week because I still couldn't commit to anything. But it was a great experience. I started volunteering in 2015, but then it was just teaching programs; tuisyen sayang & chance. And then there was that one time we distributed food to the homeless in Birmingham. Street Feeders of Kuala Lumpur, SFKL was one of an eye opening experience for me. What I really like about SFKL is; it was more than just giving out food, we were told that the homeless of KL are fed 365 days a year but SFKL also prioritized engagement and emotional support. Most of the time, we always just feel about giving stuff to the less fortunate, when sometimes, they just need someone to talk to, get their voices heard, their stories across. 

I thought listing out good things that happened in 2016 would make me feel better about the year but nope, 2016 still sucked for me. 

I know a year is just a year, a man-made system to ease documentation, based on our earth's rotation around the sun but for 2017 I just hope I can be more satisfied with what I do. To be more expressive, putting myself out there, try new stuff, keeping up with feticia's felicity and this blog. I don't have any specific resolutinos for 2017 but I just want to be happy and true to myself. 

'til next time, 

-FF

OLA BOWLS!

Acai (uh-sigh-ee) bowl is a new food trend which originates from Brazil where its original name is acai na tigela or translated to acai in the bowl. This Brazilian dish is booming all over the world and Malaysia is not a country to miss out on this superfood! With a lot of people hopping on the healthy life train and heading towards a fit nation, this is a great meal to swap for a filling meal and getting our five a day portion of fruits and veggies! 

Last Friday, my friend and I went to KL to accompany another friend to run an errand and after settling what had to be done, we just walked along KL since the last time any of us did that was back in highschool. We ended up walking to Bukit Bintang and eventually stopped to find something to eat at Pavilion. We passed by this stall and I tasted their samples that the workers were giving out (Im a sucker for free samples). I ended trying 4 different samples and finally bought a green juice and while I was looking at the menu, I saw that they happen to serve acai bowls so I felt like I had to order one to know what the hype is all about. 

OTime Favourite (top) King of Greens (bottom)

 I ordered the King of Greens which has avocados, bananas, coconut, raisins, chia seeds, oats, almonds and ... Im not really sure of the red things in the middle. If youre a bit hesitant on having too much greens and want some sugary sweetness you can try the Otime Favourite that my friends ordered that was topped with coconut, strawberries, oreos and cornflakes. Our verdict; acai bowls are thick smoothies that you eat in a bowl with a spoon rather than sucking it up with a straw from a cup. But contrary to a typical smoothie, these bowls really fills your tummy! Neither of us could finish our bowls because we were too full. And on the plus side; we ate more fruits and veggies in a sitting probably more than we do in a whole day.

Farm Power green juice!

Romaine, spinach, celery, lime and apple. I actually like strong vegetable tastes in my veggie juices like celery or ginger and this one is really good! The taste of the celery is not too overpowering because the lime really balanced it out and there is also a slight sweetness from the apples. You can also try their fruit juices if you are not into the vegetable taste. Within the first sip of the green juice I could already feel super fresh and I just love green juices so this gets two thumbs up from me!

Ola Bowls is located at the connection on level 5 of Pavilion, KL.

Dealing with depression in Malaysia

I have been contemplating talking about this for quite some time now. I actually planned to do a video discussing the topic but I just couldn't. I am more comfortable typing. But I still want this to reach out to as many people as I want to. I actually feel it is a bit selfish on my part if I did not talk about this because I know that there are a lot of people who are going through what I went through. I feel that staying silent on depression and mental health issues just contributes to the stigma that is already strong in our society. I do not want to get too personal on how my journey went, I only want people to know that there is help available but I feel like it is easier for me to tell bits of how my journey went. And I know most people do not know when or how or where to seek for help so I really hope this post helps.

If you already think you are depressed, please go and seek help. Call a friend, call family, meet a shrink. If you are still thinking "Am I depressed? Or am I just sad?" and need more justification or want to know more about it, just hold on. And yes, there is a difference between being depressed and being sad. 

Symptoms of depression:

1. Feeling little to no motivation.
• You feel worthless. You feel like there is no use to get through the day. You don't feel like getting out of bed or simple daily tasks like taking a shower or eating a meal seems like a huge burden for you to do.
2.  Having difficulty concentrating or focusing
• You can't watch a movie without zoning out. You can't read an article without feeling jumbled. You can't study without breaking down. 
3. Feeling fatigue or no energy
• A simple distance you're used to walking somehow becomes like a hike to you. Catching your breath when you're not even doing a workout. Having your body ache for no reason at all. 
4. Not finding pleasure in things you used to do enjoy doing
• Your hobby no longer makes you happy. Your passion for something dries out. Something that you were very happy to do gives you nothing now.
5. Change in appetite 
• Either you binge eat in bed or you don't eat at all.
6. Having suicidal thoughts
• This one is the most serious. If you feel like the world will be a better place without you, it won't. It doesn't matter if you have a plan on how or when you want to do it or just having the idea of not being in this world, people care about you. You may not seem to see it, but they do. Even if you don't know where to go, there is always help. Call a family, a friend, or if you don't think they'll understand your situation, there is help where you can be anonymous like BeFrienders ( 03-79568144 or 03-79568145 // sam@befrienders.org.my  )  

If you have gone through any of the above for more than 2 weeks, you might want to consider seeking medical help. Since depression and mental health issues are rarely talked about, it makes it hard for people to know where help is available. A lot of people think that help for mental illnesses are going to be expensive and only available in private hospitals but honestly, it is no different from seeking medical help for physical illnesses, you always have three options to go to; government, semi-private or private medical centres. But you need to note that most of the insurance policies in Malaysia only cover physical illnesses so if you choose to go to semi-private or private for treatment, you will need to use your own money.

I started to get treatment in a government hospital and it is really cheap as the government has subsidized medical help. I only had to pay RM5 (if I am not mistaken) for each appointment and that includes my session with my psychiatrist and my medication. And now I am seeking treatment at a semi-private clinic and the price is still pretty reasonable. Consultation costs around RM15 and one of my medication is subsidized so its only RM10 but my other medication is not subsidized and I have to purchase it at a private pharmacy and that's a bit steep priced. 

So to anybody thinking depression is a "rich people's disease", it's not. There is always help. Also, your life doesn't need to be crap to have depression. Sometimes, your life can be really good but you still feel depressed. And I know it sucks to feel that way, you know you should be happy with how your life is but you just don't know why that you feel empty. Clinical depression is generally when your hormones are imbalanced, your serotonin levels are low, so it doesn't matter what situation you're in. If you think you need help, go see a doctor and tell them about how you're feeling. 

HANYUT

A man is driven by the need of many things. Passion, fame, power, wealth. In this movie, set in 1830s Malaya, wealth was what drove the Dutch, English and Arabs to the land of the Malays and aboriginals. But as of most most films, love conquers everything. The love of a parent to their child, the love of young hearts and also, the love that drives jealousy. These were the few that you see in Hanyut. Truth to be told, when I first saw the trailer, I thought it was a Tarzan-ish kind of movie when I saw Diana Danielle dressing in a white dress with a lace umbrella in the rainforest. But as the trailer went on, it wasn't going that way.

The staring of the movie was quite slow paced, but it escalates nicely after the first half. There were a lot of time dragging scenes in the intro of the movie, in my honest opinion. (TMI) My tummy wasn't feeling so good today, but it had to choose when the scenes were getting interesting to signal me to go to the toilet -__-" I stopped at the door for quite some time because there were no signs that the scenes are gonna be bland again and I was afraid Ill miss a lot of the good scenes.

Another thing I loved about the movie was the usage of Bahasa Melayu used. It shows us how beautifully the language was used before it got butchered with time. The movie also showed the patriarchy of different cultures. How women are kept as "belongings" of men, how one culture treat women differently compared to other cultures. 

All in all, I think Hanyut is a good movie to watch. Its not spectacular, but good. Good enough to spend my money and watch it at the cinema. There are only about 9 cinemas thats screening the movie now that its entering its second week, go watch it so more good films can be on the big screen. rather than the rempit this or the hantu that or the cinta yada yada movies.